Circle of Life's Red Hand of Doom IC Thread

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"I am hardly a pawn," Koth answers Auran, sounding affronted. "Pawns are used and discarded while remaining ignorant of their true purpose, while I entered into this willingly, knowing full well what I was being ordered to do. At best, I am a knight or rook--or perhaps more appropriately," he adds with a momentary smirk, "a bishop. Unless by 'you are being used' you mean the goblin people as a whole. In which case..." he hesitates "...I can't say I have not had my doubts. Kul claims to have made a bargain with the Dark Lady that will be binding even for an archdemon such as she, and he has been honest with the other Wyrmlords up to this point. Not entirely forthcoming, not by far, but he has not overtly lied to us as far as our truth-seeing magic can determine and he has been remarkably candid about his goals. If he says he has a plan, I'm inclined to believe him...but this is an incarnate god with which we're meddling, or close enough as makes no difference."

The hobgoblin glances between Faien and Roni, furred ears perking up slightly at the mention of lunch; he probably didn't have any time to stop to eat during his hard ride to reach the Gorge. "The Red Hand is nearly ten thousand strong," he begins. "It consists of soldiers from several tribes--mostly those containing many former mercenaries, less prestigious warlords, and others who don't mind disobeying the Lhesh Haruuc's orders against interfering in other nations' business--and all of its support structure: healers, engineers, legion drummers, war mages. The Green Hand army is all worg cavalry, ogres, minotaurs, wyvern riders, manticores, hell hounds...trained beasts and those who ride them, essentially. There are over a hundred beasts, of many varieties, though I don't have any specific numbers, not having any authority in their command structure.

"The Blue Hand are the elite warriors, chosen and trained at the order of the senior Wyrmlords. The Kulkor Zhul, the Doom Fist, and many other legendary warrior clans are represented among the Blue Hand. The Black Hand and White Hand...I know nothing of them, to be honest, save that the Black Hand are in Wyrmlord Kul's personal service and the White Hand had left Khorvaire before I was made a Wyrmlord. Regardless, the Red Hand outnumber the Green, Blue, Black, and White together, by ten- or twenty-fold; we don't need their help to achieve our mission. We march under the banner of the strongest chromatic dragon for a very good reason." There is a definite note of pride in Koth's voice as he talks about the Red Hand's superiority, as there was a note of disdain in his voice when he mentioned the Green and Blue Hands. It's obvious that, however much he might not want to reveal operational details to the enemy and however much he might resent having to help his captors, he can't help bragging about the superiority of his (former) forces.

"As for what the Wyrmlords plan, it's very simple. In the short term, all of the hamlets and villages in the area were to be wiped out so as to avoid alerting Sterngate to the Red Hand's presence before we could encircle and destroy it. The keep we were building was a forward command base to raid from; once only Drellin's Ferry remained, those forces were to sabotage the lightning rail line from Sterngate to Stariluskar while the forces waiting behind Skull Gorge wiped out Drellin's Ferry and continued on to gather northwest of Sterngate, to flank it with the bulk of the army that would be coming up through Marguul Pass. The detachment at the keep plus the detachment at the Gorge numbered perhaps one-sixth the total strength of the Red Hand.

"Of course, taking Sterngate is going to be delayed by roughly a day, now that you've wiped out the keep--the Gorge detachment will need to halt after sacking the town to send a force to sabotage the rail afterwards--but I sent them a message telling them to go ahead with the assault, even without the keep's forces and even in my absence, so you've merely delayed the attack, not stopped it. After that, the Red Hand marches northwest. To where, I do not know; Kul, as I said, plays his plaques close to the vest. My best guess would be that we are headed somewhere in the Eldeen Reaches, as the Wyrmlords advised me to devise counter-tactics for dealing with Gatekeepers and their servants, but it is only a guess."

[TekHed]

Auran cocked one side of his finned head as he stared at Koth.

"We are all pawns in the great game of dragons," he replied. "Even the elves are ants to wyrmkind, how much less do you think an incarnate demon-dragon-god will regard the goblinkind? You knowingly entered a pact for power Koth, but you're still being played."

The paladin pulled the magistrate aside and whispered low.

"10,000? Do you think he's telling the truth? We must warn Sternguard, send out calls for reinforcements, and protect the lightning rail..."

[Fireheart]

Vaeri listens as Koth answers the questions to him put by the others. Though he seems to be answering truthfully enough...she can hear the pride in his voice when he speaks of his Red Hand, there is something that is bugging her.

Knowing that there isn't much she can do, she merely tries to seem confident and calm.

[Sallera]

Having seen no indication from any of his companions that they suspect deception in Koth's words, Faien shakes his head slightly at Auran's last suggestion. "Against close to two thousand troops? The lightning rail will have to wait. We do need to warn Sterngate, yes, and we ought not be the only ones heading in that direction. The defenses of the Ferry are quite inadequate to the task of stopping that many; we should have Captain Soranna organize the populace and evacuate to Sterngate."

"As for our own course of action... we must continue to buy time. It is a drastic measure, but with Warklegnaw's assistance, we may be able to render the bridge unusable, and trap the majority of the Red Hand's forces on the wrong side of the gorge. I dislike the idea of disabling a major route in this fashion, but I rather suspect they might rebuild it for us - something that will occupy them long enough to give us a passing advantage." Faien rubs his forehead with the back of one sleeve, trying to adjust to the idea of facing a few thousand troops with a few tens of defenders. It was not the sort of situation that usually ended in victory, and he was not Galifar nor Karrn. But a delaying action, he could manage - were they not all exhausted from taking the keep.

"Of course, we are unlikely to succeed without rest. I do not see facing a dragon without preparation ending in anything other than an early death. Whether we can afford the time to rest is not something I can say, but we have at least the means to stay hidden while we do."

"Koth," he says, returning to address the warlord, "I am of a mind to ransom you back to your superiors in Darguun, once the possibility arises; reparations to the villages in the area for whatever damage your forces have caused and will cause henceforth would suffice. Think you they would hold any interest in such a proposal?"

[OMG PONIES]

Roni nods at the idea of taking the bridge, and expresses his consent. "Aye, sounds like a big enough thorn in their paw, Faien," he says with a smirk. "And we may have another one," he adds while turning his attention to Koth. "You're much too intelligent to use as just a ransom," he says. "That's a role for pretty damsels and helpless old nobles. You could be an excellent double agent--feeding back information from the Red Hand while working to weaken the lesser hands, perhaps? Short term, it increases your station within your own ranks while helping us by crippling the others. Long term, it allows us to stay a step ahead of the Red Hand in exchange for not brutally slaughtering you when we inevitably defeat them. Think about it, Kothie..."

Diplomacy - (1d20+17)[23]

[TekHed]

"Preposterous." Auran snorted through his snout. "Even if we did just let him go, we couldn't trust a word he gave to us. He'll stab us in the back at his first available opportunity. What do goblins know of honor?" he added, knowing full well the honor hobgoblins held dear...

Diplomacy: (1d20+17)[34]

[Sallera]

Faien merely shakes his head. "Such a proposal is infeasible. We have neither reward nor binding to offer, and the logistics of sharing intelligence would be unworkable given our respective positions."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

A low growl escapes Koth's lips at Auran's accusation. The hobgoblin takes a deep breath to get his temper under control, then tells him, "Your self-righteousness is beginning to grate, dragon-spawn. Calling goblinkind unseeing pawns, insulting our honor...I'm used to that sort of blind racism from the pinkskins, but I'd have expected better from one such as you."

Pointedly turning away from the paladin, Koth tells Roni indignantly, "Becoming a double agent is out of the question. Logistical difficulties and my views on the Wyrmlords' plans aside, I would agree to nothing that would lead to the deaths of the gobs who swore their loyalty to me. Ransom, however, would be possible, so long as the Wyrmlords are kept in the bright sun about it." Kept in the bright sun, of course, being the equivalent expression to kept in the dark for the darkness-adapted goblinoids. "Seeming to be slain in the line of duty would allow me a plausible exit from my mission, and would finally give me a chance to report in.

"As to the ransom itself...well." Koth's lip curls in condescension. "The idea that those too weak to defend themselves should have help rebuilding after their losses is not one that we Darguul share with the Five Nations, nor do we agree with your views on civilians in general. The gold you might receive from my ransom would come nowhere close to covering the damage the Horde has inflicted."

[Sallera]

"Hm." Faien wrinkles his brow at the reminder that he was away from home, and Karrnathi customs would not necessarily apply. "Regardless, it remains our most practical option. We will arrange the ransom as soon as communication is possible, although that may take some time under the circumstances."

"Well then, Vaeri, Auran, have you any objections to a raid on the bridge in the dawn hours, or alternate stratagems to propose?"

[TekHed]

"You are as much a pawn as I in the great game of dragons Koth. Your pride simply refuses to admit it." Auran admonished.

"I concur Magistrate. Though I am unclear on how you plan to destroy such a fortified structure..."

[OMG PONIES]

As the others talk, Roni's gears are turning at rapid speed. He's trying to piece together the Wyrmlords' larger plan, see what game they're playing, and verify Koth's tale based on other bits of information he's gathered all in one go. Good thing Roni was good at multitasking (or at least told himself that he was).

Know Sense Motive - (1d20+8)[20] as per SOP for Operation: Never Trust Koth
Know arcana - (1d20+10)[22] Does it sound like the 5 Hands have any arcanists of note?
Know dungeoneering - (1d20+7)[12] I have no idea how this could be useful, but hey you never know!
Know engineering - (1d20+7)[23] What kind of buildings would such a force need? It helps to have more targets to blow up...
Know geography - (1d20+7)[22] What are their likely avenues of attack, pinch points to choke them off & delay them the best, strongholds, avenues of attacking THEM, etc. Maps would be super nice.
Know history - (1d20+7)[25] What do I know about this gathering force and their history?
Know local - (1d20+7)[13] Have I heard any local rumors about such scuttlebutt in my travels?
Know nature - (1d20+7)[26] See Knowledge: dungeoneering, above.
Know nobility - (1d20+7)[15] Any key players who have influence over the lands mentioned, dealings with the Wyrmlords, etc?
Know planes - (1d20+7)[10] See Knowledge: nature, above.
Know psionics - (1d20+7)[14] See Knowledge: nature, cf. Knowledge: dungeoneering.
Know religion - (1d20+7)[24] You know the drill by now.

"Becoming a double agent is out of the question. Logistical difficulties and my views on the Wyrmlords' plans aside, I would agree to nothing that would lead to the deaths of the gobs who swore their loyalty to me. Ransom, however, would be possible, so long as the Wyrmlords are kept in the bright sun about it. Seeming to be slain in the line of duty would allow me a plausible exit from my mission, and would finally give me a chance to report in."

"Kothie, baby," Roni smirks with a smugness that he wears like a second set of scales, "confusion and obfuscation is somewhat of a specialty for us Quickwings. After all, we sure shone the light in your eyes for a bit, didn't we?"

"I concur Magistrate. Though I am unclear on how you plan to destroy such a fortified structure..."

"Destruction of property just so happens to be another one of my specialties..." Roni chortles as he starts envisioning the blueprints and schematics of the bridge they saw. His eyebrows arch, his eyes spark, and it sounds like he is at best only half-kidding.

Know engineering - (1d20+7)[9] What's the best way to take out that bridge back there (or at least the best way within the abilities of our current party and known allies)?

[Fireheart]

Vaeri shakes her head,

"None, save we'll need to do something with him" gesturing to Koth "...We can't take him with us and watch him while dealing with the bridge."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

OOC: The only Knowledge she has is Arcana. don't think it will help but just in case it allows her to pick up something...

Know Arcana: (d20+15)[33]

[TekHed]

"I'm certain our mastermaking host can devise some suitable restraints..." Auran alluded.

[OMG PONIES]

"I'm certain our mastermaking host can devise some suitable restraints..." Auran alluded.

"You mean ol' Hux?" Roni asks. "Leave Koth with him long enough and he'll probably come out of the deal with a steam-powered right hand and a pneumatic eyelid or two. Now as to whether or not that's a bad thing, I guess that's up to us to decide..."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Roni

As far as you can tell, Koth has been truthful with everything he's said. He seems, if not enthusiastic to help you, at least receptive to the possibility of being "killed" and returned to his superiors.

That doesn't mean he's been particularly complete or forthcoming with his information, of course. For instance, he mentioned the Kulkor Zhul and Doom Fist as being two of several "warrior clans" with the Blue Hand, but you recognize those names as being much more than that: the Kulkor Zhul, or "People of the Dragon," became somewhat infamous for the prowess and destructive potential of their battle-mages after several quite successful engagements during the Last War, and the Order of the Doom Fist is a clan of priests, monks, and other ascetic warriors known mostly for their mercenary work near Darguul borders. Koth, in his arrogance, probably expected a mere non-goblinoid to miss the significance of that.

As for the rest of the Hands, you haven't heard or read of any mention of these "Hands" before; given the by-now-familiar five-color naming scheme, it's likely that they were assembled by the Wyrmlords specifically for this venture rather than being an established Darguul paramilitary structure. For the same reason, you don't know of anyone who'd have interacted with any of the Wyrmlords--nor do you know what exactly being a Wyrmlord entails, aside from the obvious guess of one Wyrmlord leading each Hand.

The one thing you do know is that the Red Hand is almost ten thousand strong, plus the elite units of the other Hands and whatever support infrastructure they have, and moving and supplying such a large mass of goblinoids isn't easy. You can't think of any other routes they might take other than the ones Koth outlined; there aren't any other roads or mountain passes wide enough or straight enough to maneuver an army through in any reasonable amount of time. The fact that they were building a keep on Dragonmount to serve as a temporary staging point, and had done so much more rapidly than one would guess, implies that the Red Hand doesn't have any other important strongholds at the moment but instead will be building and occupying them if their assaults on Drellin's Ferry and Sterngate are successful.

And finally, the bridge. You didn't spend enough time close enough to the bridge to get a good look at it and its construction, so it's hard to say how you might destroy it. Barring finding a weak spot of some sort on closer inspection, your best bet is probably "apply giant-thrown boulders to bridge at high velocity, repeat as necessary."

Everyone

"I would much prefer not to be left with the madman you call your friend," Koth says without hesitation at the mention of pneumatic eyelids. "Are you certain you have no other allies who could serve as my jailers instead?"

[TekHed]

"Perhaps we could arrange for you to stay in the Royal Suite at the nearest 5-Crown Ghallanda establishment? You could order room service; chilled sparkling wine and an assortment of cheeses." Auran snorted. For a paladin he certainly was acerbic, no doubt remnants of his earlier incarnation as an elf.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni

"I would much prefer not to be left with the madman you call your friend," Koth says without hesitation at the mention of pneumatic eyelids. "Are you certain you have no other allies who could serve as my jailers instead?"

The elder spellscale smirks, the knowing smile of a young man who has just found the leverage he's been searching for. "Am I certain?" He repeats Koth's words. "I'm about as certain I have no other allies as you are that you have no other information, Kothie." Roni pauses a moment, allowing the implication to sink in: maybe they both knew more.

"Now don't get me wrong, you've been a doll so far. You've given a lovely 101-level course on your forces in general. Reviewing my syllabus, I see that we've got a total of around 11,000 troops or so--10 from the Red Hand, around 250 each from the Green, Blue, Black, and White. Sounds like the red is the infantry & green is the calvary, pretty definite. The black and the white are question marks, but it sounds like they were probably created for this. My guess is some kind of necromancy & healing, but that's just given the chromatics' penchant for pigeonholing and unoriginality." At this, Roni stops for a second and winks, twisting the knife.

"But the Blue Hand--I don't know if you thought a nongob wouldn't know about the Fist or the People of the Dragon, but there you're talking about divine warriors and battle mages from the Last War...and some damned destructive ones at that. I'd put my last copper on them being your artillery, after a fashion. But Kothie, don't skim over details like that. I don't like it. That makes me skim over details of people I might know who don't give a damn about what your optic nerves look like. Savvy?" Another pause, this time to gauge Koth's reaction to the eyeball reference. Could even monsters like him be disturbed by mundane fears?

Sense Motive - (1d20+8)[12]

Roni continues: "I came back for your second semester and took Our Secret Plan 102, in which I studied up on your proposed timeline. I'll admit, there's a sinister efficiency there. Take out the surrounding towns, working up to Drellin's, in order to cut off communication back to Sterngate. Flank the town and blitz in as your doorway to Breland. Cut off the rail to Starilaskur, transit hub of Khorvaire. From there, you can go anywhere. Of course, you'll choose to go to the Eldeen Reaches in hopes of "cleansing" the Gatekeepers who protect good ol' Ebbie from all kinds of extraplanar nasties. Then it's on to the Demon Wastes, most likely--old stomping grounds of the rakshasas. Now, you've got the Carrion Tribes running the joint, but I guess you're banking they'd be more than happy to help you (and I'm banking some surprise cameos from the Lords of Dust) free one of their so-called "Overlords," Mrs. Avaricious herself, ladies & gentlemen boys & girls: Tiamat! That about cover the long and short of it?"

Roni doesn't give Koth a moment to answer, consumed in his own self-aggrandizing glory. He is so excited to have figured out the plan, he doesn't give a lick whether it's the actual plan or just some crazy conspiracy theory he had whipped up. He was riding the high of knowledge now, and that was one powerful drug with a hell of a withdrawal. As Roni continues his arrogant monologue, spittle begins to fly from his mouth. "Now maybe you just forgot some of that, or maybe you didn't know. I get it--memory is fickle and ephemeral and blah blah blah. But my memory's coming back to me, Koth. I'm getting a faint recollection of some friends who may be a little more stable. Anything coming back to you? I'm not a freshman any more, baby, so give me your master class."

The elder Quickwing counts on his scaly fingers as he makes a list of demands. "Tell me everything you know about:

• Allies you have outside the Hands (Lords of Dust, Carrion Barbarians, the Chamber). I don't care, give me the works.
• Your leadership structure. If you're a bishop, what does that make these Wyrmlords--queens? Who's the king everyone's working to protect? Because I know it's not Tiamat--she's just the endgame. Who's holding the reigns?
• Speaking of Wyrmlords, tell me everything you know about their identities and roles. Likes, dislikes, phobias, history, what they had for dinner last Thursday, the whole nine.
• Speaking of--this Kul, he's a Wyrmlord, yeah? It sounds like you've got the most knowledge of him so I expect some extra detail on that one.

And maybe--just maybe--in the time it takes you to remember all that I'll remember a Ghallanda friend with a blind eye to the law who just wants to make sure his guests relax in style with a nice steak and a perfect wine to pair it with. Auran may not know a guy, but I know a few...We'll give you a minute to gather your thoughts. The adults need to step outside and talk."

With a regal air, Roni nods to his companions and steps out of the shed, leaving the large door swinging. In as much time as it had taken him to figure out the plan (or at least what he thinks it is), Roni had already concocted a scheme to stop it.

Diplomacy - (1d20+17)[31] to convince Koth to share more
Knowledge Local - (1d20+7)[10] Do I actually know any slightly corrupt members of House Ghallanda that could put up Koth in secure yet comfortable style?
Bluff - (1d20+16)[30] If not, he'd best believe that I do.

[TekHed]

Auran sat back, wings draped over his shoulders like a cloak, while Roni went to work. It was difficult for the paladin to tell how much was coming from the spellscale's extensive (and apparently incidental) academic knowledge, and how much was fabrication for Koth's benefit. That was likely a good thing however, as Koth was unlikely to know the difference either.

When the four of them stepped outside to let Koth simmer, Auran raised a scaly brow at the Quickwing.

"So...how much of that was fact or fiction?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Koth's face remains impassive throughout Roni's tirade, except for a few small twitches of the cheek that could be fear, concern, or merely supreme annoyance at his attitude, it's difficult to say. He stays silent while you leave him to his thoughts, then when you return the first words out of his mouth are "Ghallanda hospitality will suffice. We have a deal, as long as you stop your prattling and let me speak." It's a good thing he thinks Roni has a Ghallanda contact willing to put him up for a bit without any further proof, since while Roni does know several Ghallandas who could keep a prisoner in style as well as several people willing to house a prisoner on short notice, the two groups don't have any overlap.

The deal having been made, Koth begins: "To your first point, the Hands are working with the Chamber--mmm, no, that is too strong a statement. Instead, let us say that there are members of the Chamber working with us. Three dragons that I know of, a green named Ozyrrandion, a red named Abithriax, and a blue named Tyrgarun, all relatively young. Kul might have more allies among the Chamber, but none that he has seen fit to introduce to us. As for the Wyrmlords ourselves, the structure is fairly flat. Each Hand has one Wyrmlord who has total control over the operation of his or her Hand, with arrangements made for another to take over if they fall in battle or are otherwise...rendered indisposed. The chains of command are not shared among the Hands, lest one of the Wyrmlord decide that a particular underling of another Wyrmlord might be more pliable than the Wyrmlord himself.

"In theory, all five of the Wyrmlords are equal, and share knowledge and power appropriately, all for the greater glory of Tiamat. In practice, we have one High Wyrmlord--Azarr Kul--and one junior Wyrmlord--myself--with the other three falling over themselves to suck up to the former while ignoring and undercutting the latter despite the latter's prime importance to the plan. Contrary to your belief, I don't actually know the most of Kul." He shakes his head to forestall any objections. "Yes, he is our leader and the 'most equal' of all of us, but he is also very secretive, not sharing any information before it is needed and giving as little insight into his own goals as possible. In fact, I've only spoken to him in person a handful of times, where I've met with the others at least a dozen times each. What I do know is that he is a powerful sorcerer and a sadistic taskmaster, willing to sacrifice as many underlings as necessary to achieve his aims.

"My understudy, if you will, the one who would become the Red Hand's Wyrmlord in my absence, is Hravek Kharn, a priest of Tiamat. He is a true believer, through and through, and also a capable strategist...though between the two of us I'd say I have more skill in that area. Still, he doesn't hesitate to lead from the front and has the unquestioning loyalty of all his gobs, and for that he deserves admiration. Ulwai Stormcaller is the Wyrmlord of the Blue Hand. She is quite powerful, though unpredictable; she is as likely to commend a soldier for a brave act as blow his head off with a lightning bolt. Like me, and like her sobriquet would imply, she focuses on the Azure aspect of the Dark Lady and the corresponding storm magic; it should be no surprise," he adds, indicating his blue clothing, "that hers is the position I had hoped to usurp in the final ritual. Saarvith is...an archer, and a good one, but in my opinion does not deserve leadership of the Green Hand; he focuses entirely on tactics and not enough on strategy or logistics, and where Hravek joins battle while still leading his troops, Saarvith simply likes to fight. That isn't to say that he isn't good at that, just that another choice--such as myself--would have been a better leader.

"Kul, by the way, leads the Black Hand, as I believe I mentioned before. And I have no idea who leads the White Hand, as that information is apparently on a 'need to know basis', so I couldn't tell you anything about him or her."

[OMG PONIES]

"So...how much of that was fact or fiction?"

"Auran, I'm offended," Roni faux-scoffs with a wink and a smile. Back in the shed with Koth, Roni is happy to quiet down and listen to the Wyrmlord speak. The information comes pouring out of him like wine at a bacchanal, and as Koth speaks Roni gently rubs his own chin and lets the gears in his brain grind in the role of silent fact-checker...at least, for now. When Koth mentions his desire to overthrow Ulwai Stormcaller, Roni arches an eyebrow.

Sense Motive - (1d20+8)[27] is Koth lying about anything (or possibly still withholding any information)? Also, how important to him is his ambition to lead the Blue Hand?
Know Arcana - (1d20+10)[15] Are the 3 dragons from the Chamber familiar to Roni?
Know Local - (1d20+7)[8] Any chance Roni has any contacts (even low-level ones) within The Chamber?

[Fireheart]

Vaeri feels absolutely overwhelmed as the talk of locations and armies and Wyrmlords flies over her head. She really wishes she'd paid more attention in class.

But knowing that even if she didn't know what to do and even if Roni didn't always make sense, Auran and the Magistrate would know what to do with all the information that Koth is providing.

In the meantime, she continues her role as the silent watcher, waiting to see if Koth does or says anything out of the ordinary.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

As far as Roni can tell, Koth isn't leaving anything important out; the sneering disdain in his tone as he speaks of the other Wyrmlords implies that he's enjoying detailing their weaknesses to an enemy. The way he speaks of his rivarly with Ulwai, purely in the past tense and without much heat, implies that he'd rather "retire" in the manner you spoke of earlier than try to replace her as the leader of the Blue Hand.

The Chamber is not particularly keen on making contacts outside their own number, and their proxies and cat's paws (dragon's claws?) tend to either have no idea who they work for or be thoroughly brainwashed before being let in on any important information, so Roni doesn't have an "in" into the Chamber that he could call upon...but he does recognize the name Abithriax, or at least vaguely recalls hearing it before. That implies that the red dragon leans more toward the "Mwahaha, flee before my fire breath, puny mortals!" end of the draconic behavior spectrum than the "hole up and nap on a pile of gold for a thousand years" end, so he might be able to find someone who knows more about it.

Having established that Koth is being as cooperative as he'll ever be, you confer briefly and decide to head back to the gorge while Baden alerts his hometown of the impending threat. He's still leery about trusting Koth's word, but he's willing to trust your judgment on that, so he hops on his mount and heads back to Drellin's Ferry as fast as he can afford to go. Meanwhile, the five of you settle in for the evening to make plans for the next morning's assault. Warklegnaw appoints himself Koth's guard for the night, declaring that his people need much less sleep than you little ones, and he spends the night poking and prodding Koth to ensure he can't get enough rest to prepare his spells.

It's shortly after dawn when you set out the next day, and so the sun is bright and the breeze is cool as you make your way towards Skull Gorge. It takes just over an hour to get back to the point on the road where you captured Koth, with the Wyrmlord sitting in a sullen and exhausted silence the whole way. The tree you felled along the path is still lying there, with no signs of anyone trying to remove it or even signs that anyone has noticed. Apparently the hobgoblins defending the bridge are not on orders to patrol past it, and none of them saw or heard your fight with Koth and decided to investigate. The Wyrmlord looks peeved at the sight, and grumbles under his breath that any competent gobs under his command wouldn't just sit on their asses all day when they could be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious in the area as all truly dedicated soldiers should.

[Sallera]

"This seems as good a place as any." Faien, having spent the dawn hour meditating on whatever power he could prepare to face a dragon, of all things, as well as the more imposing if less dangerous obstacle of a solid stone bridge, looks slightly different from the previous day, the ethereal boots bound around his feet sharper and more solid, and a draconic torc bound about his neck. "Koth, you will need to be bound here while we deal with the bridge guard. When we return, we will proceed to Sterngate, and there I hope to find someone trustworthy enough to handle the matter of your ransom." Left unsaid remains the implication that Koth ought to hope they do return, lest he starve tied to a tree.

"Our priorities are destroying the bridge, eliminating the foot soldiers to prevent word from getting out, and grounding the dragon, in that order," he begins once the group is alone. "Naturally, we will have to begin with an assault on the encampment, but should you be forced to choose between chasing runners or defending those with the ability to damage the structure, focus on the latter. We cannot, I believe, effectively plan for the actions of the dragon, unless one of us here has fought such a creature before, and will have to adapt in the field. Should the opportunity arise, depriving the Hands of such a crucial resource would be ideal, but in truth I doubt our ability to keep it from escaping should it so desire."

Turning to the giant, he nods politely. "Warklegnaw, if you could, please find whatever solid ammunition you can and focus on damaging the bridge's supports from afar. I should be able to assist in this endeavour as well, but will require a much closer range. Roni, Vaeri, please target immediate threats to your own safety, runners, spellcasters, and the dragon, in that order. Auran, you will serve as the shock force; strike the encampment first, eliminate everyone inside, then focus on the hounds and archers. I will support as needed while getting close enough to attract attention and damage the bridge, preferably at the same time. Any further contributions?"

[Fireheart]

Having taken the early morning to refresh her spells and meditate on Bahamut,if ever there were a time for the blessing of protection and good fortune, today would be it, Vaeri follows as they make their way back to the road.

As Sallera lays out a plan, she nods. "Most of my spells are designed to hit things before they get close to me. So I can probably target runners to some degree while at the same time, remaining close enough to protect you and Warklegnaw."

She opens and closes her hands. "It should be fun!"

Spoiler: Random Stuff

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Assuming we had time to get spells back. (yeah for being a sorcerer!)
Meditation: Changes "Blood Quickening" to Bahamut. (if evil, spell deals additional 2d6 dmg, can use 3x)

[OMG PONIES]

Roni had joined his sister in meditating on Bahamut that morning, suggesting that the twin spellscales sit with Auran while he prays. It had been an entirely uncomfortable affair for Roni who was used to neither silence nor reflection, but it felt like the type of uncomfortable that comes with exercising a lazy muscle.

As Faien shares his plan, Roni realizes just how shrewd the lawman truly is, and that perhaps having a plan isn't always awful. After all, for every improvisational musician there were a handful of classically trained greats. Listening to the plan, Roni nods in assent. "First tie up Koth. Protect Warklegnaw & ourselves, take out any who flee, then spellcasters, and leave the dragon for last. Got it." He thinks for a long moment about making a tortured pun relating to bridges or gorges, but decides that not every situation needs a one-liner. Again, he feels that same type of uncomfortable.

[TekHed]

Auran had awoken just before dawn, the Quickwings finding him in contemplation of the constellations. No longer the mithril-armored avenger, his newly strengthened wings and glorious golden scales seemed to almost shine with an inner light, an evanescent hint of a halo contrasting against deep azure of his simple but well-made tunic. Sword, spear, and shield were reverently resting before him, glinting in the soft starlight.

After a long period of silence broken only by the shifting of Roni's uncomfortable fidgeting, the dragonborn proceeded to lead them in prayer.

"Bahamut, eldest child of Siberys, greatest of good dragons, provider of protection and fortune, guide us to victory on this day. Let our swords and spells strike true, and keep our hearts pure and noble to your great cause. Gird us against the malevolent servants of your great enemy, and we shall fear not, fortified with faith, and armored with conviction."

Taking up his arms, the vassal of the platinum dragon readied himself for the coming assault.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Koth looks disgruntled at the thought of being so ignominiously restrained during your assault. "Of all the ways I thought I might end up dead during my tenure as a Wyrmlord, I must say that death by starvation while tied to a tree is not an option I planned for," he notes wryly. "I expected better from you...particularly from one of such supposedly heroic stature." This last is directed somewhat accusingly at Auran. He is interrupted by a long yawn, like those he's been making all morning thanks to his sleep deprivation, after which he reluctantly adds, "Though, tactically speaking, your plan seems sound enough that at least one of you should survive to come back for me. At least two, hopefully; the Shadow forfend that I be left alone with the giant." Warklegnaw seems as pleased by that suggestion as Koth is displeased.

Having made his objections known, the hobgoblin submits to Roni's ropework without further protest. Warklegnaw takes one huge step up from the roadside to the clifftops and begins gathering tree stumps and the odd boulder while mumbling to himself. A short time later, he returns carrying a handful of tree stumps by the roots in the same way a human might carry a collection of purses or bags by their handles, and has two boulders balance on his shoulder. "Old Warklegnaw is ready, little ones," he rumbles, "to repay the child-murderers for their deeds, once and for all."

Spoiler

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For planning purposes, Warklegnaw has gathered 10 80-pound tree stumps (3d6 damage) and 2 600-pound boulders (5d6 damage) and can throw them with a range increment of 30 feet and a maximum range of 150 feet.

[TekHed]

"Don't you worry Koth your sleepy little head. We're not going to lose...so you won't have to starve. You know it's never too late to accept the grace and salvation of Bahamut into your heart...believe me, I know. Perhaps once you have seen the truth of His divine glory I will show you the way of transmogrification..."

Auran was noble. He was lawful, and he was good. But he could still be a haughty jerk sometimes, betraying his formerly elven existence.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Koth sneers at Auran's offer. "I've had my fill of religious fanaticism, thank you. I'd sooner engage in a staring contest with a medusa."

[TekHed]

"Then your head would be very hard indeed. If you are lucky, someday your spirit will waste away in the endless Grey. If you are very unlucky, perhaps Tiamat will recall your treachery, and remand you to hottest hell-pits of Kyhber, as she almost did me, when your last breath escapes you. Oh yes Koth...I once served the Fivefold mistress, and conquered more in her unholy name than your hands combined ever will. I know her ways intimately."

He turned towards the others... "All ready?"