Circle of Life's Red Hand of Doom IC Thread

[TekHed]

Auran's tail still swished agitatedly, but he held his tongue...the siblings seemed to be onto something...

[Fireheart]

Vaeri crosses her arms and looks the hobgoblins up and down.

She paces in a circle around them, her cloak swirling around her.

"Then speak." She orders sharply, coming to a sudden stop before the so-called leader. "Your dispensation shall be mitagated based on the information you share."

The things I've picked up from Roni.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

At Vaeri's performance, the second hobgoblin mutters, "Shuugan. Akhor dar, okh togaan uush Delkar...." and the first hobgoblin chuckles in response.

Goblin

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"You were right. With that attitude, she's definitely a priestess of the Goddess...."

The first hobgoblin's face pales as it suddenly occurs to him that a priestess of their goddess probably speaks Goblin, and he quickly adds, "No offense meant, Eminence." He clears his throat a few times and shuffles around until he recovers his composure, then continues: "We serve Koth, and have been raiding the town of Drellin from the keep we have been building. Vraath Keep, he calls it. I am not sure what else you want to know, Eminence--ask, and I will answer as long as it will not harm our kin." In a slightly wheedling tone, he adds, "We serve the Goddess first and Koth second, of course, Eminence, all of us do...."

Goblin

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"Vraath" is one of the Goblin words for "before," and it has the connotation of preparation or anticipation when modifying a structure or group of creatures; in Common, Vraath Keep would mean something like "advance base" or "forward outpost."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri frowns at the hobgoblins.

"Koth..." She folds her hands and taps the two index fingers together in front of her face as she turns in the direction of the Keep.

She looks at the keep for several moments. Gods, I wish I knew what else to ask!

She turns back to the hobgoblins and switching back to Common. "How long since he set up here? How many serve him? What does he claim is our Lady's goal?" She asks each question sharply.

OOC:

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wanted to make sure this was in common not draconic in case it wasn't clear.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

Roni's eyebrows arch as he silently watches his sister conduct her interrogation. He was at the ready should she need his aid, but she seemed to be handling her grand debut quite well on her own.

[Sallera]

Faien stands to the side, studying the hobgoblins as they speak. To Vaeri's questions, he nods approvingly, adding "It would also serve us well to know their capabilities as well as their numbers - foot soldiers, archers, spellcasters, and any warbeasts they have brought along."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"I do not know, Eminence," the hobgoblin replies to Vaeri's first question. "We are recently come to his service. All we know is that the Keep is almost whole, and before he came there was no Keep. I am sorry to disappoint you, Eminence." Soranna frowns at that news. "Makes sense, unfortunately. Don't know anyone who's been to that area in a while. Say it's haunted. Didn't believe it is, myself, but...well, no sense taking chances. Could've been there for years and no one would've known."

The hobgoblin looks relieved as the Captain (unintentionally) comes to his defense. "And those who serve him? A handful of goblins and their wargs serve as his scouts and messengers, Eminence, while the true warriors among us serve as soldiers. There are only three squads of us now--two, after our...recent losses--but there are more coming in less than a week, anyway. And Koth is a powerful priest in his own right, of course, Eminence. He has two allies who aren't of our kin, a bull-man and a manticore, who come and go from the Keep on missions for him; I would not shed a single tear if you killed both of them, Eminence."

He looks away from Vaeri nervously as he answers her last question, not wanting to incur her wrath if it turns out he's been serving a heretic. "He says...he says that the will of the Goddess is that--" he breaks off and looks around evasively at the Drellin's Ferry folk "--well, you know. I don't know how Drellin ties into Her plans, but he says that She has ordered that Drellin be...cleansed...to prepare the way for Her servants."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri glances toward the Drellin's Ferry Folk as well and frowns. "Wasteful."

"Served by a manticore and minatour...interesting." She steeples her fingers.

"You have done well by Our Lady." She looks at Faien but her eyes flicker to Auran. "Is there more you would know?"

[Sallera]

"It sounds as though you might wish to have a discussion with Koth." Faien snaps a twig from a nearby branch, tossing it down in front of the prisoners. "Of course, given his current position, he is unlikely to take any chances - even if he does not attack on sight, he will be loth to grant you admittance. Perhaps one of these two could give us the details of the keep's layout, were their hands unbound."

[TekHed]

Auran had finally stopped pacing to lean brooding against a tree but his tail still twitched with agitation in the manner of a cat. These were the servants of the Enemy, and should be shown no quarter...but he had to admit to himself that the current deception was working better than any of the sword-justice he would dispense. These people were young, oh so young by Auran's standards, but perhaps their youth gave them flexibility he had long since forgotten.

When Vaeri glanced at him he just nodded his assent that she ought to keep at it, and keep him out of it...for now.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri relaxed a little as Auran and Faien continued to back her ploy. She shot a quick hidden grin at her brother wishing that telepathy had been part of thier abilities. She could definitely have used a little more of his skill in faking it.

Turning back toward Sorranna and the hobgoblins, she nods but keeps her hands near her spell components.

"I agree. I would most definitely like to have a word or... something... with Koth." She looks at Soranna. "Unbind one of them...so they may draw us a picture of the keep."

She looks at the most talkative of the hobgoblins..."Since it seems, I must take you into my service...What shall I call the two of you?

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

Cleansed. It takes every fiber of Roni's strength not to shudder at the word. He had traveled enough to know that it was a euphemism for something very dirty. Oppression, slavery, genocide--there was even a theory that the Day of Mourning was such a "cleansing" of Cyre. No matter how he sliced it, Roni didn't like the implications. He just hoped that the residents of Drellin's Ferry that were with them could keep a collective cork in it long enough for their gambit to pay off.

"Yesss, it is good that word has ssspread thisss far," Roni lies as the hobgoblins shyly share their plans. "The sssandbars mussst be removed to allow for the coming tide. My lady and your massster have much to disscuss in preparation. Now, the map--we musst ensssure that the Keep can ssserve as a sssufficient outpost for the People of the Dragon. Those asssembled with us have defected; they're willing to provide your massster with information about the town in exchange for a plassse in the coming kingdom." He turns back to the Ferryfolk, waving at them and providing a sly wink encouraging them to play along.

Bluff - (1d20+15)[25] to convince the hobs to grant an audience and provide a map.
Bluff - (1d20+15)[22] to secretly relay a message to the residents of Drellin's Ferry present (DC 15).

[TekHed]

"Ask them when their...cleansing...is scheduled to take place." Auran growled. Remembering himself and their ruse he added begrudgingly through clenched feet. "Mistress..." The thought of the Siblings turning to the service of his former flame...well it made his scales crawl.

[Sallera]

Faien smiles slightly, glancing to Auran briefly before returning his gaze to Vaeri and the hobgoblins. "Do you find your new role ill suits you?" he says, speaking to the paladin without looking at him. "Fear not; you will adapt in time."

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The best lie is no lie at all.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Yes, Eminence, it is wasteful," agrees the first hobgoblin quickly, giving all his attention to Vaeri. "Terribly wasteful," the second one chimes in. "I had my suspicions about Koth, you know." "So did I, Eminence! So did I!" Soranna manages to keep a straight face and play her part as the captives shamelessly attempt to ingratiate themselves with the "priestess of Tiamat" while the other townsfolk, fortunately standing behind the captives where they can't be seen, can't suppress their smiles. Zeke almost breaks down into giggles when Roni winks at him and he has to stuff his shirt in his mouth to avoid giving the game away.

"I am Taluk, Eminence," says the first hobgoblin as Soranna steps forwards and unties him, "and this is Dosh." Taluk bows low to Vaeri as soon as he is untied, while Soranna motions to the militiamen to turn around and look like they're guarding things. They do so, and Taluk grabs a nearby branch and clears a spot on the ground of debris to let him sketch something, as Roni ordered. He scribbles in the dirt for a minute or two, a look of intense concentration on his face; meanwhile, Dosh overhears Faien chastising Auran and snickers at the thought of his Goddess co-opting a former paladin--and a servant of Her greatest enemy, no less!

Taluk stands up once he's finished and brushes the dirt off his knees. "There's the map," he says. "So, um, here, this way's the top," he says, indicating that Vaeri and Roni should come around and look at it from his perspective. "Right. Um. The top part is where the worgs are kept," Taluk explains, jabbing a finger at the mentioned portion of the map. "The middle part is just an open area for now. Probably going to be barracks when everything's done, but right now everyone just sleeps on their bedrolls in the jagged box on the left. The boxes on the right are the guard towers; the gate between them isn't quite done yet, so they're always gobbed."

"Gobbed?" asks Zeke in confusion. "Yeah, gobbed. You'd say 'manned,' but we actually value our females. And you humans call yourselves 'men,' like you're the only race that matters. So we don't man our towers, we gob them." Zeke looks like he wants to debate the point, but he decides not to as Soranna gives him a pointed look. "Anyhow, the bottom right box is where the bull-man lives--what'd you call it, a minotaur? We give it a wide berth. The round part is Koth's tower. We aren't allowed in there, don't know what's in there, don't want to find out."

"You idiot, you forgot the equipment shed!" Dosh interjects. "And there's a wall inside there, and one there! And--" "All right, all right. Next time you can draw in the dirt with the stick. But the map's correct aside from the little things like that."

[Fireheart]

"Enough." Vaeri frowns at the two hobgoblins. "This is helpful, yes?" She looks at Faien.

"Good, now how soon was Koth planning to attack the village?"

"Wait...Taluk, Dash, will you swear to serve me? Less I let you join your fellows? I would not have you turn on me as you did Koth." Her voice is soft but holds an immenant threat as she looks at them.

[Sallera]

"It is." Faien nods, pointing to the map. "Koth's tower, here, shares a wall with the outside of the keep - not unusual for a small fortification, but a feature we can use to our advantage. If you should wish to speak with him directly, then come the morning, we need only approach the wall, and I can escort you inside."

"As I'm sure you can see, the need to get so close still gives him an advantage. We would need to rely on your presence and their caution to delay any imprudent moves on their part; after all, we have promised sanctuary to Taluk and Dosh, and cannot ask them to return so close to their former master."

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

Though he's trying to turn over a new leaf, old habits die hard and Roni has to fight his eyes from going wide at the mention of an equipment shed. If there are sellable goods to be found, they might be able to help Drellin's Ferry shore up their defenses...after taking a small finder's fee of their own, of course.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The two hobgoblins look relieved when Vaeri's fearsome glare moves away from them, but they begin to sweat again with her next question. "Uh, tomorrow morning, Eminence," Taluk answers nervously, with a glance at the militia. "Us four were some of the soldiers sent in to...uh...assassinate the Drellin soldiers."

Four bowstrings twang in harmony as the militiamen draw and nock arrows and point them at the captives, furious expressions clearly visible on all four faces even in the darkness. "Bows down!" snaps Soranna, also looking furious. "Might not have succeeded. And if they did, they're mine." The captain stalks up next to Vaeri and leans in close to Taluk. "Well?"

A "No!" bursts out of Dosh's mouth. "Not all of the militia were there, and the townspeople were all armed, and we couldn't find the mercenaries either--I mean, what we thought were mercenaries, Eminence, no offense meant!" "So we weren't sure if you'd set an ambush," finishes Taluk, "so we turned back. We were the closest group, one other should be coming back this way soon, and the rest are staying where they are, south of Drellin."

The combined pressure of being helpless before enemies who hate them and being judged by the conduit of their Goddess has started to get under their pale green skin and cause the legendary hobgoblin discipline and fearlessness to crumble. "We will swear to serve you, Eminence!" Dosh interrupts. "We know true faith in the Goddess when we see it! Only, tell your allies not to kill us?"

[Sallera]

Faien frowns thoughtfully. "Koth is playing this as cautiously as I expected. Under the circumstances, I expect he fears losing face. But while this gives you a small advantage, it does not give us much time. I would still advise a direct meeting, if that is your wish; you should see how that would limit his options. Unfortunately, the entrance I described takes time to prepare; I cannot bring you through that route tonight."

He turns to the hobgoblins, unsmiling but no longer directly threatening. "What do you know of the orders given to those who remained behind? They are not so trusting as to attack without Koth's signal, are they? And what think you of tomorrow morning's events? Will Koth move out at first light? Before?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Taluk glances at Faien as the magistrate questions him, but addresses his answers to Vaeri. "I do not know what the plan is now, Eminence. Our attack at dawn was planned assuming Drellin's defenders would be killed," he says with less of a quaver in his voice. The hobgoblin studiously ignores the weapons still trained on him, drawing courage from the fact that he is not currently full of arrows and might very well survive the night. "We were supposed to report to Koth and tell him when we killed them all--and now we are supposed to report to him and tell him that we didn't kill them all.

"I don't know how Koth thinks, but if the other group reports back and we don't, or no one reports back at all, that probably won't be good for your plans, Eminence."

[Sallera]

Dismissing the hobgoblins as swiftly as they had dismissed him, Faien returns his attention to Vaeri. "A leader with no information will behave according to his nature: if he is cautious, he will hesitate. If, as these two say, Koth has not yet realized your identity, then the disappearance of his patrols will lead him to blame the first threat he sees - and without that knowledge, he will be forced to either move in force immediately, thus putting himself in a disadvantageous position, or wait and see if the threat shows itself."

"Removing one patrol alone will give him an idea of the location of the threat, but it may also make him less inclined to immediate action, for he will know the situation in Drellin. In either case, he is likely to send the manticore to find the missing. If you still wish to meet with Koth, the road opens in the morning, although it is not a safe one; barring that path, drawing him out of the keep or discarding this subtlety would be the next options, although you know the problems with the latter better than I."

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

The elder quickwing tries the best he can to conceal his nervousness, but some of it may be peeking through the cracks at this point. He goes to Auran and whispers in Draconic:

"Should we send the locals back with the Captain to start shoring up their defenses while we figure out what we're doing?"

[TekHed]

Auran pulled the young Master Quickwing aside so they would not be overheard. "I was thinking along the same lines. If we can get Drellin's Ferry properly prepared for an attack we may be able to deal a decisive blow to the raid. Perhaps your sister can send our captives back to tell Koth that we have been defeated and the defenses are down...that would make for quite a nasty surprise indeed..."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri turns to Soranna seemingly furious, "Keep your men under control, Captain!" She hisses. [COLOR="DeepSkyBlue]"I will not have all my work ruined because someone becomes impatient."[/COLOR]

She takes a deep breath and turns back to the newly sworn hobgoblins. She points to the ground and says to the Hobgoblins. "Sit. I must discuss our options."

She steps away from the hobgoblins and closer to Faien, with a nod she gestures that Auran, Soranna and Roni join her.

Whispering, "So what are our options? Do we try to get in and remove Koth? If we can get into the keep and kill him and his two seconds, I can probably keep control the others...and either send them away on a quest for the Goddess or convert them to our more local goals."

[Sallera]

"Ambitious, and quite fitting to your new station," Faien replies in a low voice, smiling slightly. "Assuming Koth delays his plans with the failure of his assassination mission, then come morning, I will be able to draw on enough power for limited dimensional stepping. With the amount of energy contained in a single shaping, I can make five short steps or two longer ones, but I can bring only a single person with me. In effect, I could get four of us through the wall over a period of half a minute, leaving us with no escape once inside, or take two of us directly to Koth's chambers, and keep a second jump in reserve to make our exit."

"The latter, however, would require you to be the one to come with me if you wish to cement your hold over these forces, and whether you consider the risk involved acceptable is for you to decide. Koth is a powerful spellcaster, and while I can shield myself from his magic, the task of disposing of him would naturally fall to you, and the only shield I can offer you is myself. There is, of course, the additional possibility that he would not be present; in such a case, we could take what we need of his documents and either wait for him or simply leave."

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

Roni is beaming at his sister as the group huddles together, sure that the goblins can't see him. He didn't want to say anything and risk being overheard by their audience, but he was proud of all the subtle conning, manipulating, and flat-out swindling she had picked up over such a short time with him. Then again, he began to wonder about the path he had been leading her down...no time for that now, he reminds himself.

"Dive right into the deep water with no way back to the beach?" he says, rubbing his hands together. "Why magistrate, this sounds like the type of foolhardy plan I'd concoct. Naturally, I love it. Any plan that keeps these gobs away from Drellin's Ferry is probably a good one; speaking of, should we send back the locals so they can shore up defenses just in case this isn't the only force coming? I think the out-of-towners among us can handle the keep, yeah?"

[TekHed]

"Are your wings strong enough to fly...Mistress?" Auran asked in a low whisper. "Perhaps these ones can be used to provide distraction. If the two of you can take to the air, the Magistrate and I could go for the tower. I agree perhaps best to send the guard back with a warning."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri shakes her head. "Some ability to glide only. If we could get to the top of the tower, I could certainly glide into the main area. That would certainly cause quite an impact. I do agree that we should send the others back."

[Sallera]

"Supplanting Koth requires that we deal with him first. Once he is dealt with, then the presentation can continue. It seems our last point in question, then, is whether to send a force of two or four after Koth himself. Two provides us with a potential distraction from the other two and allows us to reach Koth's chambers directly from the outside; four allows us to bring more force to bear against him, but also forces us to wait exposed below until everyone enters and then climb the tower, allowing him time to call reinforcements, set up additional defenses, or even escape, if he is sufficiently wary of your presence."