Way Down in the Hole — IC

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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

OOC
While you've been watching, you see a single lantern lingering atop the southwestern tower. It has not moved since you first noticed it. Josie noticed what may have been illumination from two other lanterns, one near the northeast tower and one along the more northern segment of the western wall.
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Post by Namelessjake »

"Either way, approaching as far to the East as possible would be advisable," Samiira adds. "That lantern means there's probably someone in the southwestern tower. We should stay as far from them as possible."
 
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Post by Fialova »

"Velasco, can your bird tell us who - if anyone - is on the towers?" Josie asks, turning to the young agent for his assistance again. We've already had the bird check the fortress interior, certainly it can peek at the towers as well. Though too close and any watchers might get suspicious.
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Post by Scratcherclaw »

"We must use every advantage we can afford, so yes, let the raven be our eyes," Alerio says, glancing up toward the lantern-lit tower. "Should we be spotted before we have even gained entry, it will all have been for naught."

 
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Post by FinalTemplar »

"Number, yes, but who?..." He looks over at Raine and whispers to her. "Up to the towers, please. Not too close, we just need to know how many are in the towers." He points to the two closest towers on the southern wall. "Those towers are very important." He finishes whispering before sending her off. I've gotta find her some raven treats soon. I go too long without rewarding her.
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

In a flash of jet black feathers, Raine takes to the canopy once more. She is gone for a long moment before she swoops down next to the Serranborn. She caws in an unnatural cadence to him.
Velasco
She points her beak toward what appears to be the southwestern tower. "See man on tower. Sit in chair, next to fire in glass hang on wood. Fire in glass pretty. Man: he watch ground. Watch road. Watch Raine. Sit in chair."

"See man, there," she caws, pointing her beak now to the southeastern tower. "Carry fire in glass. Walk away. Away! Walk to water side. Tower empty now."
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Post by FinalTemplar »

Velasco waits in silence, contemplating the choices and people he'd met so far that brought him to this moment. As he waits, he listens to the sounds of the forest around him, the rain falling around him. He finds a moment of zen in all of that, where he's able to push everyone out and finally sit for a moment in his head.

As Raine returns to his side, he takes in her new information with intense focus, looking between each tower. As she finishes, he nods, and he points to the southwestern tower; "One man, he's sitting. He has a lantern above him. He's watching the ground, watching the road." He points to the southeastern tower; "The one in that tower is holding his lantern, and is walking away from the tower, along the eastern wall. Possibly toward the northern tower."
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Post by Namelessjake »

"Sounds like this is our opening," Samiira says. "We will need to watch for the man on the eastern wall when we get there though. Everyone move low but fast, and secure anything on your person that might make noise,"
she advises, no stranger to moving quickly and quietly.

"Ready?"
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Post by Chanchabruhh »

Pohaku will nod "Ready lets get this done."
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Post by BartNL »

"Ready." Hadrurus replies as he prepares to scale the Eastern wall into the tower.

Mechanics
Athletics to climb into the SE tower: [1d20+12]=11+12=23+2=25
Last edited by BartNL on Mon May 13, 2024 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Scratcherclaw »

"Yes, let us not waste another moment," Alerio says. Let us hope we proceed unseen. Gods grant us your swiftness in these shadows.

 
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Post by FinalTemplar »

ooc
Ready to go.
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Post by Fialova »

"Ready," Josie confirms with the others, following along with the others as they quickly - and hopefully stealthily - make their way to the base of the wall. That bird deserves some treats after this is over, it is saving us from being spotted for sure. Perhaps I can find some fresh worms with all this rain.
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

Moving east through the trees, you break from their cover to push across a trickling gulley and toward the cliffline. The rocky soil beneath you has turned to a thin mud. Thankfully, it does little to impede your movement and you reach the fort's walls in under a minute.

You press yourself against the southeastern tower, which juts out several meters from the southern wall itself.

Hadrurus
Your climb check — which point are you attempting to climb? Up the southern wall and/or southeastern tower? Or the eastern wall? If the eastern wall, you will need to traverse some of the cliff to reach it.

Are you using any gear? And are you bringing the improvised rope ladder with you?
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Post by BartNL »

Hadrurus equips his climbing gear and attempts to climb the wall at the corner with the packed rope ladder.
Easy.

Mechanics
Athletics to climb into the SE tower: (reposting from previous post) [1d20+12]=11+12=23+2=25
Last edited by BartNL on Mon May 13, 2024 2:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by ratwizard »

With dagger boots and pitons in tow, Hadrurus snakes his way around the slick brick wall up the eastern side of the tower. The rain and distant occasional thunder provide an opportune moment for him to hoist himself up the last few footholds.
Hadrurus
Make a Stealth check.
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Post by BartNL »

Stealth
Stealth to climb quietly: [1d20-3]=9-3=6+2=8
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

Hadrurus
As you near the top of the battlement, you hear the clack of boots on the stones, coming from further north. You suspect it may be the sentry returning. The footsteps don't sound hurried, but you sense if continuing your way, they will reach your position on the wall in a matter of seconds. You are just below the lip of the parapets.
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Post by BartNL »

Hadrurus waits until the sound get's very close and attempts to grab the sentry and pull him over the edge.

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Post by Namelessjake »

Samiira shakes her head as she watches Hadrurus quickly clamber up the wall. Trust the gladiator to apply brute strength to every situation, she thinks watching him reach the top of the wall. Hopefully he doesn't give us all away.
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Post by ratwizard »

Hadrurus
As you lurk just below the parapet, the sound of boots on wet stone draws nearer. At its apex, you hoist yourself up with arms outstretched. You barely get a good look at the young human man before you grab him brusquely and lean back to flip him up and over. With a gasp, he claws at the stones futilely — though he manages to clasp on tightly to an embedded piton under your foot to keep himself from certain death. For now.
OOC
Roll initiative.
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Post by Scratcherclaw »

Alerio looks up the wall, squinting as he tries to shield the rain from his eyes. Much is riding upon this. Let us pray he does not get reckless... or take a plunge into the sea.
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Post by BartNL »

OOC
Initiative: [1d20+6]=15+6=21
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

Hadrurus
He rolled a 19, so you go first. To set the scene, your hands are at the lip of the parapet, feet on pitons jammed into the grout between bricks. On the other side of the parapet is a battlement — the east wall — that is about five feet wide. It is lined with stone, and leads between the northeast tower, and the southeast tower.

The sentry is hanging from the piton beneath your right foot.
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Post by BartNL »

Hadrurus gracefully whips out his sword, and tries to stab and cut at his victims hands.

Mechanics
Main action: Word of Exchange: Change rune state to Rune of Protection then [1d20+12]=14+12=26 vs AC for [1d8+5]=8+5=13 damage. and The target takes a -2 penalty to all defenses until the end of your next turn, and the next ally to hit the target before the end of your next turn gains a power bonus to AC equal to your Wisdom modifier. The bonus lasts until the end of your next turn.

I will continue my turn depending on what happens.
Last edited by BartNL on Tue May 14, 2024 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

Hadrurus
The guard gives out a cry through gritted teeth as your sword bites into his fingers. His grip loosens, but does not fail, and his feet scramble for purchase against the bricks below.
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Post by BartNL »

Invigorated by the cries, Hadrurus strikes again.

Mechanics
Standard action: Spend (last post)
Free: Spend Action Point
2nd Standard action: [1d20+12]=3+12=15 vs AC. for
[1d8+5]=7+5=12 damage.

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Post by ratwizard »

Hadrurus
As you swing again, your blade severs the man's fingers through. He grasps at the piton with his other hand, but slick with blood as it now is, he cannot find purchase and he cries out once more — slipping. His legs kick helplessly against the bricks as he descends, whacking against another piton further down that sends him reeling at a new angle.

The last you see of the wide-eyed Imardanian is his spinning frame rebounding against the cliff-edge below you with a bone-crushing finality, before he tumbles over and out of view toward the ocean below.
Mechanics
Hadrurus: hits, (enemy saves), pops AP, hits and bloodies (enemy fails).

Sentry: Fails save to catch hold.
Everyone Else
After a moment, you hear a faint cry of a man's voice, and then the sound of a mass striking the cliff-face just around the tower. Then, nothing but the rain.
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Post by BartNL »

Hadrurus pulls himself into the tower as he hears the body hit the cliff. And the audience goes wild.
Then he deploys the rope ladder South wall. Better to get them up as soon as possible.
After throwing down the ladder, Hadrurus removes his climbing gear, and then he tries to keep a lookout for sentry with the lamp in the SW tower.
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Post by ratwizard »

Everyone Else
The rope ladder descends from above you with a soft scraping, reaching down the brick wall right to your position. You catch sight of Hadrurus for a moment as he finishes unraveling it, before he disappears once more.
OOC
Considering the quick but quality craftsmanship on the rope ladder, climbing it is trivial and will not require an Athletics check.
Hadrurus
The remains of a wooden watchtower stand in the southwest tower, which sits a few meters higher than the level of the battlements. You can see the glow from a lantern billowing out from the watchtower, which must mean the lantern is on the other side it — and likely the sentry, too, for the time being.
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Post by BartNL »

Hadrurus slightly pulls on the ladder to sign to his allies that they can climb up.
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Post by Namelessjake »

Hopefully none of the other sentries heard that cry. At least it sounds like there's one less Powder Keg to worry about though, Samiira thinks, relieved to see the rope ladder extend down from atop the wall. "Up we go then," she says, looking to the others waiting for them to climb up in the pre-agreed order.
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Post by Scratcherclaw »

Sublety is a rare talent it seems, Alerio thinks, grimacing as he hears the fleeting scream meet the unforgiving cliff face. A deserving fate for a member of such a vile band, however. He shakes his head, stepping up to the ladder as he's relieved his ally is unharmed.

 
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Post by Fialova »

Direct and effective, good, Josie thinks, as the scene unfolds before her, the sound of the sentry falling to the sea a welcome one to her ears. One watcher down, and a safe way in and back out established. Now we just need to plan what to do in the fortress itself. Hopefully it is as easy to take down the rest of them as that one was. She holds the bottom of the ladder still, waiting for Velasco to climb first and scout the rest of the fort. It all hinges on his bird now.

 
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Post by FinalTemplar »

Vekasco grimaces at the sound of the falling man, and then sees the rope ladder land in front of them. "Well, I suppose Hadrurus won." He says before starting to climb the ladder. It's slow for Velasco, but he makes it up eventually.
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Post by Chanchabruhh »

Pohaku Grumbles to himself "Well let it be done." Pohaku will say before he starts to climb the ladder
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Post by ratwizard »

Map
Image

Bear with me on the fog of war here. MapTool kind of sucks so I'm doing the vision manually, and considering angles on a 2D surface between multiple levels is not incredibly intuitive!
The rope ladder proves trustworthy, and the five of you ascend it one-by-one to regroup with Hadrurus near the top, who looks no worse for wear. Now standing on the southeast tower, you peer around the fort to get a better understanding of its layout.

To your north along the battlement is the northeast tower, which stands a story taller than your current level. To the west is the southwest tower, which sits at a similar height. You can see the ruins of a watchtower there, but from the current angle, the sentry previously seen there does not have a straight shot to you without leaving their post.

Further west is another circular tower at your level, though it stands empty for now. Josie would recall seeing the light from another lantern just north of there, around the northwestern portion of the battlements.

Inside, the fortress looks to be in various stages of disrepair. What may have once been well-kept grounds has been reduced to packed dirt, swollen and unsteady by the constant rains.

There appear to be three buildings set inside the fort. The one to your immediate west is made of stone, and flat-rooved with wooden planks. It is quite squat in shape — possibly storage of some sort. The larger building to your north is of similar construction, though much larger, and with an angled wooden roof. A chimney puffs smoke, and you can see the glow of light coming from what must be windows beneath the eaves. You can hear the sound of merriment even through the storm: sailor song, shouting, and the occasional whistle.

Far to the northwest is a more densely-build structure with a flat, stone roof much like the one you stand on now. In addition your knowledge of a dock of some sort past the northern walls, you can also tell there is some sort of open area or courtyard near the northwest corner, though your vision of it is limited from your current vantage.
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Post by Fialova »

OOC
Apart from the dirt path through the fortress, does there appear to be anything else of note outside the buildings? Wagons or tied up animals or anything? Or is it mostly pretty barren?
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

OOC
For the most part, the grounds that you can see are quite barren. Considering the ongoing storms, it's possible anything of value was hauled inside. However, you know the Powder Kegs are recent occupiers of the seafort, so their level of development would be quite limited.
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Post by Namelessjake »

A shame that guard fell. I could have walked right up to the other sentries if I knew what he looked like, Samiira thinks, reaching the top of the tower and joining the others.

"The way I see it, either we should focus on finding the prisoners, or we first try to quietly take out the other sentries. That would then give us a lot more free reign to move about the fort," she suggests, looking to Josie and Hadrurus.
OOC
Is it possible to wall along the walls between the towers? Or are they just thin walls with the towers being the only spots for defenders?
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Post by Scratcherclaw »

"I would suggest the sentries be dealt with first," Alerio says as Samiira considers two separate courses of action. "I would not run the risk of sounding the alarm and putting innocents in danger."

 
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ratwizard
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Post by ratwizard »

OOC
The battlements atop the walls are about 5 feet tall (1 square) and can be walked upon. Some parts of them are less sturdy or stable than the others due to existing damage, which may be difficult terrain or require a skill check. You can see the east wall battlement is somewhat beat up, and Josie would remember the battlements above the main entrance on the western side are also damaged.
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Post by Fialova »

"I agree, the sentries need go first. With them gone, we can more easily encircle the remaining targets with relative ease, especially with them all holed up in their buildings to avoid the wind and rain."
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Post by BartNL »

After the group get's up, Hadrurus retrieves the ladder.
"The sentries need go first." Hadrurus repeats in agreement with Josie. "Samiira, Velasco, are you up for it? You are the silent ones. Start with the sentry west, and then ask your raven to scout the other walls and towers. The rest of us could probably check out the building at the foot of this tower in the meantime."
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Post by Namelessjake »

"They won't see me coming," Samiira replies coldly. Velasco's bird should make this even easier than normal, she thinks glad to have the added boon of aerial reconnaissance.
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