Circle of Life's Red Hand of Doom IC Thread

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Twenty or so seconds pass with no sounds aside from the rustling of Vaeri's robes as she adjusts the fit, the crinkling of paper as Faien carefully takes down the maps and other papers on the wall to use as evidence, and the tapping of Auran's wand on each of your shoulders. Then the soft sounds of whispering goblinoids and the slightly louder sounds of several people trying to walk softly in heavy boots can be heard on the other side of the walls.

You can make out a half-dozen or so distinct voices, and they sound like they're preparing for a fight. There's still no sign of Koth.

Spoiler

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You have 4 rounds of calm in which to do whatever you wish, and the goblins and hobgoblins begin gathering in round 5.

[Sallera]

"They still advance?" Faien says, raising an eyebrow. "I would have expected them to force us to attack, after the success of our defensive tactics thus far. Do they have a new trick?" Tucking away the roll of maps, he takes up his former position in the doorway.

"Well, better it be aimed at me than the rest of you. Roni, Vaeri, you should avoid the desk this time, I think. Our enemy has shown a fondness for linear attacks."

[TekHed]

The Paladin takes up his Phalanx position behind the magistrate once more.

"Koth is trying to wear us down. The bad news is, it's working. How much more concentrated punishment can we withstand? Perhaps...we should give Vaeri's ploy a chance; it could turn the tide..."

Spoiler: Updated Buffs

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As of 'round 5' as indicated by Dice.

Eagle's Splendor: 30 rounds
Protection from Evil: 31 rounds
Bull's Strength: 34 rounds

[Sallera]

"A war of propaganda is a long-term strategy." Summoning his blade, Faien plants it tip-down in the floor, resting one hand on the hilt. "I do not object to the attempt, but against a larger number of foes, should it fail - and Koth has no doubt been speaking against Vaeri - I do fear for her safety."

[TekHed]

"All of our safety is in jeopardy if we don't make it out of here. Paladins may have a reputation of martyring ourselves to the last, but this is bigger than such selfish glory. All of Eberron is at stake and we are very likely the only ones who even know of it..."

Spoiler: Updated Buffs

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As of 'round 6' as indicated by Dice.

Eagle's Splendor: 29 rounds
Protection from Evil: 30 rounds
Bull's Strength: 33 rounds
Lesser Vigor: 11

[Sallera]

"That is not a reason to take unnecessary risks," Faien replies calmly. "Fighting against a large number of smaller foes is what I prepared myself for this morning. I expect little difficulty in holding the door if that is what they bring. We have already defeated the two great beasts our informants mentioned, and the only significant threat remaining in the keep is likely Koth himself. If he comes, then I doubt we will be able to sway his underlings in front of him - you will have noticed that they are easily kept in line by power or authority, but break easily apart from it. If he does not come, then it should be a fight we can win, and I do not think the risk of exposing Vaeri to enemy fire worth the small chance of a success. We had our time for grand deceptions, and we failed."

[TekHed]

"Indeed" the Dragonborn steeled. "Let them come to us..."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The goblinoids behind the walls apparently realize that you're not planning to leave the nicely fortified commander's quarters any time soon, and their hushed preparations give way to action. Someone shouts an order in Gobbledegook and four massive wolves--no, not wolves, you realize when they get closer, but rather the more intelligent and fearsome worgs--bound into the center of the outer room. Two of them grab Karkilan's massive bulk in their powerful jaws and begin dragging his corpse into the courtyard, out of the way of the impending battle, and the other two do the same with the late manticore.

As soon as the worgs are clear, another voice barks an order and large wooden barricades rush in through the entrances to the outer room. Each is carried by one goblin and one hobgoblin and looks to be hastily cobbled together out of tables, crates, and other random boards and planks. The barricades are set down as the same voice barks another order, at which point all of the goblinoids heft some heavy crossbows that were stowed in the barricades, take aim with said crossbows, and drop behind the barricades for cover.

In very broken Common, one of the goblins calls out "You now surrender! Surrender in the Tiamat name, or we you shoot! Do not us make come after for you!"

Map--Round 17

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The Hs are hobgoblins, the Gs are goblins, the Ws are worgs, and the brown things are the barricades, which provide improved cover to the goblinoids crouching immediately behind them and normal cover to the other goblinoids and worgs still in the courtyard (and likewise provides you cover against them). The irregular grid outside the outer room is the extent of the courtyard you can get a good look at from your vantage point during your four rounds' respite, the courtyard obviously extends beyond that.

[Sallera]

"Well, since they are being so considerate as to give us the option..." Leaving his sword planted in the ground, Faien turns to Vaeri with a slight smile, speaking softly. "Would you like to come up here and make them a counter-offer? Do be careful to stay out of the line of fire, though."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri smiles and nods. She takes a deep breath and centers her thoughts on the Chromatic Dragon.

She stands up straight and shrugs her shoulders. Tossing her white and blue streaked hair to one side, she steps toward the door, careful to stay out of line of fire. In her hand, she holds a pinch of colored powders.

Spoiler: OOC 1

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Moves to the space in front of the table, still behind Auran.

In Draconic and in a voice loud enough to carry, "Surrender, to you?" Vaeri laughs. "I hold the blessing of the Daughter of Khyber in my hands. Did you not see the dead who lay before this chamber? I am Maret! And I have claimed this keep in HER name." She pauses, "The one you call leader, Koth...has lost the Daughter's Blessing. You will surrender to me!"

She waits for half a second and then again in Draconic, "Voice, translate my words for these pitiful creatures."

Spoiler: OOC 2

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Dear Gods, please let Roni speak Goblin. :)
Bluff <roll>d20+6</roll>
Dang...not sure why that didn't work. rolling the bluff in the OOC!

bluff result: 22

[PairO'Dice Lost]

No translation by Roni is needed, for the handful of hobgoblins and worgs that speak Draconic translate her words to their fellows. Shocked murmuring breaks out, some dismissing her claims, some believing her, some staying neutral. The ones who don't believe her point to Koth's prior victories, his fervent devotion, and the trust placed in him by his superiors. Those who believe her merely point to the dead manticore and minotaur that had just been dragged unceremoniously out of the room.

The believers very quickly win out, given how much their Lady values strength and confidence and how much they personally value their heads remaining attached to their necks. An uncertain silence falls over the gathered forces, then: [If we surrender to you, Eminence,] one of the hobgoblins responds hesitantly in Draconic, [what then? Are we to be executed for following a heretic, or will the assault continue as planned?]

[TekHed]

*Indeed* Auran thought. *Somehow I doubt we will be able to convince them not to go to war. Even if we are able to, they will turn on us the minute their reinforcements arrive.*

In Eberron, good and evil could not be judged by appearances. The orcs in the Eldeen Reaches were peaceful and defensive only. These had come from Darguun however, and seemed bent on conquest. The paladin could feel the evil emanating off of them that made him feel ill like a foul stench. They understood only brutality, the weak dominate the strong. They should be destroyed, but Auran knew that they were in a precarious situation. Better to play along for now.

"You will be executed if you do not surrender now, scum!" he rasped.

Spoiler: Buff Countdown

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Eagle's Splendor: 28 rounds
Protection from Evil: 29 rounds
Bull's Strength: 32 rounds
Lesser Vigor: 10

[Fireheart]

"Silence, Fallen!" She orders in Draconic, "Do not that think your position protects you from me!" Vaeri took another step forward, this time, coming to the side of Auran, directly behind Faein so she can see out the door. Easy, Auran, don't scare them off. she thinks.

Out loud still in Draconic, "Do you question me? Foolish one. My plans are my Lady's and We will share them when We are ready. But you can show me your loyalty to our Queen...Bring me Koth!... or at least his head."

She turned to Auran and making it clear she included Faien in the order, said in a softer voice and in Common. "You may go with them, if you wish, to see that the job is finished."

She smiled.

Oh, yuck, yuck, yuck. I am so going to need a bath when this is all done.

[OMG PONIES]

Goblin? Roni could fake his way through reading it, but speaking it was a whole different issue. All the eggs were in this basket, though, and Roni had to think fast in order to make sure it didn't go belly-up before it began. He opens his mouth to speak, but finds that Auran has beaten him to the punch. Vaeri responds flawlessly in-character, leaving Roni with nothing to do but blink.

The kid was good. Almost too good.

[Sallera]

Leaving his blade planted in the ground, Faien turns to Vaeri and gives a formal salute, the corner of his mouth turning up in a half-smile for her eyes alone. "Milady need only speak her will and it shall be done." His thoughts cannot help but be drawn along a different line, however. You take so well to this. If it is within my power, I intend to see that you are given the opportunity to exercise your talents in a proper position; such potential should not be allowed to wither on the edge of society. This may be practice only, but I will teach you what you lack. As best I am able.

Continuing in a much lower voice, although still in character in case one of the hobgoblins manages to overhear, he adds "I do feel you may be in danger should both of us leave you here undefended, however. The traitor has access to teleportation magic, and we cannot be certain he has not more prepared. A direct confrontation may have more... gravity."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The goblinoids flinch at Auran's threat, but don't seem too frightened; he's merely a servant of Her Eminence, after all, and wouldn't disobey the orders of a priestess of the Lady, because that is simply Not Done. When Vaeri threatens them, though, they snap to attention. [Forgive us, Eminence!] the Draconic speaker cries. He steps out from behind his barricade and prostrates himself on the ground. [But we cannot bring you Koth! He gave us our orders to try to kill you and your retainers, then flew away! He said he was going to get a mount and ride back to Skull Gorge to tell them everything that had happened! If we had known of his heresy, we would have tried to stop him, Eminence! Please, do not punish us!]

There is a slight pause as the speaker's words are translated for the non-Draconic speakers, then the rest of them start calling out in their own tongue and broken Common to the effect that yes, they would definitely have stopped Koth, no question, if only they had known, anything to please Her Eminence, please don't kill them, or at least make it fast and painless if she absolutely has to kill someone.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri frowns. "I am disappointed. Very well. Clear that mess and await my orders!" She points toward the barriers and the dead bodies. "I must see what my Lady commands." She starts to turn..."Oh, and somebody find me a new desk and chair." she adds.

She walks back out of sight and leans heavily against the wall. Softly and in common, "Crap...now what?"

[OMG PONIES]

Roni shrugs. "You think the cat tells the mice all his plans?" he asks innocently. "If I was Koth, I'd feed them a story and then hide somewhere to see how it shakes out. I say we search the place--with their help--top to bottom before we buy it. Gates open and all. Best case, we find the bastard. Worst case, those from Drellin's can come and claim the Keep. If Koth's coming back, at least he'll have lost some footing."

Roni squints, trying to recreate the acid-burned maps and reports that he had memorized in his mind's eye. Skull Gorge...where had he seen that before?

Knowledge Geography - (1d20+5)[24]

[TekHed]

"We need to get out of here, warn Drellin's Ferry, and dispatch riders to call for reinforcements." Auran said in a low whisper. "We bought time by appealing to their fanaticism, but I doubt they will give up their plans for conquest so easily. When they find out you aren't who you have claimed to be, they will certainly seek retribution. Well done by the way..." the paladin smiled.

[Sallera]

"Most impressive," Faien says softly, keeping half an eye on the retreating hobgoblins for a minute to make sure they aren't about to approach. "I must admit, I did not think that would work a second time."

With a nod, he too steps out of sight, laying a gauntleted hand on Vaeri's shoulder. "But on your feet," he says, not unkindly. "You did just ask them to retrieve some furniture for you, and if they find you like this on their return, it will break the illusion of authority. Command is three parts confidence to every five parts strategy and tactics."

"Now, if Koth is fled - and I believe he is, for it fits what we know of him so far - then we should follow, and scout out the greater part of this force. If they adhere to Galifar, their vanguard should be approximately one-tenth of their total force, which leaves us looking at roughly nine score - quite difficult to defend the town against, if perhaps not impossible with the traps the townsfolk have lain. Since, of course, we cannot be sure they do follow the old teachings, we need to confirm their numbers for ourselves. If they have few enough that we can hope to hold, then calling for reinforcements may be worthwhile."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

[At once, Eminence!] the hobgoblins declares with a definite note of relief in his voice. Once again Vaeri's words are translated to the others, and they awkwardly arrange themselves into two groups to clear out the area and to look for more furniture; they're obviously not used to superior officers who just give them general orders instead of micromanaging.

About ten minutes later, two hobgoblins return to Koth's room with good news and bad news. Good news, the barricades have been cleared away and the worgs are currently munching on the remains of the late and unlamented manticore and minotaur; the hobs actually seem glad to see the fearsome Karkilan posthumously taken down a few pegs. Bad news, there's no other furniture to be found in the keep, as Koth reserved anything halfway comfortable for himself and everyone else had to make do with stools for chairs and boards for tables until the keep was finished.

[But maybe, Eminence,] the hobgoblin adds hurriedly, [there might be another desk in the Wyrmlord's vault?] He points to the door off to the left of the open area, a heavy wooden door with a sturdy lock. [The Wyrmlord has the only key, and our weapons cannot destroy the door because its core is iron, but surely Her Eminence's servants can find a way to get it open and see if there is something suitable for someone of Her Eminence's rank?]

Roni

Spoiler

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You recall a notation on one of the maps that Skull Gorge is one of the few paths through the Seawall Mountains between Sterngate and New Cyre, and is the closest one to Drellin's Ferry. The map covered too much area to show any fine details about the gorge, but it did have a line to the rough location. You could most likely find your way there based on your mental image of the maps, and it looks like the distance from this keep to the gorge is roughly the same as the distance from Drellin's Ferry to the keep.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri listens carefully and rises quickly when Faien points out the risk of breaking the illusion. She crosses her arms and begins tapping a foot impatiently.

Once the hobgoblin gives its report, she smiles, "Very well. Return to your duties." she orders in draconic. She waves him off with a lanquid hand. She decides to keep her comments short so as not to give anything else away.

Once it leaves, she turns back to her companions. "Okay, so..." she begins ticking things off on her fingers, "we need to open the vault...treasure is good" she winks at her brother, and there may be something in there than can help us...and I'll admit to curiosity if there is anything that can help me cement this confounded illusion, search the keep to make sure Koth really is gone, get a count of how many of his army are left here in the keep and figure out a way to keep them on our side, take them with us or send them far, far away, we need to open the doors and let the folks from Drellin's Ferry in but still maintain the charade, and then we need to leave so we can go after Koth? Am I forgetting anything?"

She looks at them.

[OMG PONIES]

"Not at all, Your Eminence," Roni says with a sarcastic bow. "Pretty simple, eh?"

[Sallera]

"I carry the tools to access sealed rooms, but I rarely draw upon the necessary memories without a specific warrant in mind," Faien says. "I could not open it today. However, if one of you has the skill..." He looks at Roni with a raised eyebrow, suspecting that this particular task would not be beyond the young man's abilities. "...then I would not object to its exercise in this instance."

"I do not think it would be wise to bring the Captain's forces inside if we wish to prolong this command. We are unknowns; they are not, and their presence would renew doubt in the minds of Koth's former soldiers. One of us should rendezvous with them in the forest and bring news of Koth's flight and our intent to pursue. Or just as good, if Taluk or Dosh is out there, summon one of them and give them the task in private, assuming Koth's questioning hasn't left them incapacitated." Walking to the now-bare wall, Faien lays a hand on it, fingers drumming in a regular rhythm as he thinks.

"What to do with your new troops is a more difficult matter. I would be tempted to leave them here to hold the keep in your name; it keeps them out of the way while we confirm the situation, and lets us return later if necessary. It could even provoke further infighting or confusion if reinforcements show."

[Fireheart]

"Roni?" Vaeri asked with a raised eyebrow.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni looks incensed at the suggestion of the others. "Oh sure," he says as he tosses up his hands, "Everyone can just assume that I'm the one in the group with a larcenous streak." A moment passes before he realizes that he's got no defense--they were spot on. "I mean, you'd be right, but still. That's a hefty assumption to be throwing around. So, the vault?"

The spellscale waits for his sister to lead the way. Once they're there, he takes a look at the locks and hinges on the door. He reaches to unlock the door, but stops short of touching it. "You learn some things the hard way," he explains before muttering a quick incantation and eyeing up the door. He knew some of the basic things to look out for; they were usually incredibly sharp or covered in some kind of liquid that was dissolving through the metal. Assuming he doesn't see any of those things, they were good to go, right? With a sharp inhale of breath, he places a hand on the door and begins to ply his illicit trade. He gives it a second before exhaling, though.

Perception - (1d20+9)[20] boosted by Cunning Knowledge and Improvisation (6 points left)
Disable Device - (1d20+15)[21] boosted by Improvisation (4 points left)

[TekHed]

While Chenaniah Quickwing went to work, Auran stood guard in front of the door, looking suitably imposing and draconian.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri just looked at her brother and shakes her ehad She sighs..."Is it wrong, that I hope we'll find what we are searching for in that vault. If not, I suspect Koth will have taken it with him.

Spoiler: OOC

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OOC: I just went back and re-read the prequel. Boy...I find it amusing that after Vaeri's preaching at Auran about Balance, she finds herself imitating Tiamat's priest. She's so going to want to do something Bahamut related when she gets done.

[Sallera]

"You refer to his symbols of office? I see nothing wrong with that, and there is some chance of it. Koth is the type to hoard. He was fairly clear that our initial target had already been transported, though, and on that I am inclined to trust his words." Faien walks slowly beside Vaeri, giving any hobgoblins that come near just enough of a glance to project the illusion of constant surveillance. A watched pot might not boil, but a watched soldier tended to be twice as efficient.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Roni doesn't notice anything sharp, hot, dissolving, or explode-y on or around the lock, fortunately. Unfortunately, Koth seems to have ordered this lock to be custom-built and many of Roni's favorite tricks don't seem to help with it, so it takes him a few minutes of fiddling before he can get the door open.

Spoiler

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Roni missed his check, but as there are no traps and no penalties for failure I'll assume he takes 20 to keep things moving.

The door handle takes a great deal of effort to turn once unlocked, as doing so pulls several iron bars within the door out of the floor and ceiling with a loud groan of metal on stone. After that, though, the door swings open smoothly and silently to reveal a long and narrow dimly-lit room. A few hobs try (not very subtly) to take a peek inside, but Faien's stern oversight dissuades them from getting too close.

The left wall of the vault simply holds several plain wooden shelves with ten small iron coffers on them, locked with ordinary padlocks that Roni can easily make quick work of. Inside are many handfuls of coins of various denominations, plus a handful of gems (which Roni, as a practiced thief valuables liberator, is able to determine are well-cut, finely polished, and worth quite a nice chunk of change) and an ornamental amulet bearing Tiamat's emblem. The narrow back wall has several cloaks hanging on pegs that are variations on Koth's, presumably for different ceremonial purposes; a large, unlocked trunk below the cloaks contains a set of chain armor and a sparkling sword, and two staffs leaning against the wall look identical to Koth's own except for different writing etched into them near the handgrips.

The right wall appears to be Koth's trophy rack. A foot-wide skull belonging to some variety of dragon hangs next to a necklace made of two dozen fist-sized teeth, which hangs next to a massive gauntlet made of bone and engraved with a symbol resembling a frowning orc or goblin, which hangs next to a trio of vaguely-humanoid skulls. None are labeled, but one's imagination can fill in the blanks as to how he acquired them.

Spoiler

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The coffers contain 1,500sp, 1,100gp, 150pp, and three small gems which Roni can Appraise ((1d20+5)[24]) as being worth 400gp each; the amulet is a nonmagical silver unholy symbol.

The sword, the Large armor, the gauntlets with the armor, the Huge trophy gauntlet, and both staffs radiate magic if Roni detects for it (which I assume he does).