IC VI Stormy Seas

[Athedia]

No, Honey is doing the hard work here. And don't worry about the spell. I can only cast it if the other person is willing, it will not stick otherwise. Mithril joking pushed Natalia away. "Natalia, you do that and the horses will collide. Or I will fall. Neither sounds fun."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"If fell on you? Or under? Fun then?" Natalia teases, sticking her tongue out playfully.

[Athedia]

"More painful I would say, if on. If under still more painful but for you instead."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shrugs. "Can endure better. Not sturdy, but study enough." She turns back to Mithril, her grin broadening by the second. She looks like she's about to burst out into laughter.

[Admiral]

Kurt nods at the commander's words, recognising the difficulties in communication being experienced by them, but internally cursing the challenge it poses.

"So what do you think we should our best plan is? " He's considering it himself as they march, how to attack a place like that. It seems like it should be doable...the force is strong, strong enough to overwhelm them if they're not careful, but still...spread out. If only there were a way to signal the dwarves to attack from the entrance they want to use at the same time they do.

"Meself, I'd look to create a diversion if I could. Problem's not getting the soldiers to the cave, it's getting a coupla wagons there. Wagons move slow, and they have to follow the path: ground can get real rocky around the caves." He sighs. "Been there before, I 'ave, though many years ago... me cousin's a miner there. Anyway: unless they're distracted the wagons will take too long to get there. Trouble is getting them makin' the diversion out alive..."

Miriam notices that Mithril and Natalia and touching hands and looking at each other and not talking. She smiles thinking "Could it be that finally Mithril returns Natalia's feeling?"

She approaches the samurais and hugs the ones she recognizes. She smiles at the dark skinned man, glad he fully recovered.

She hugs Luther last and asks him "Sir Luther, would you mind letting me share your saddle once again? It brought us luck last time as we won and both came back."

Luther laughs, his wide smile a refreshing sight. "I thought talk of luck was for grunts like me," he says, as he starts rigging a place for Miriam on the saddle. "I would think that a priestess would credit the victory to the gods." He helps her up and they set forth.

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Please let me know how the party is traveling. Miriam is with the green-belted Luther, and the samurai are riding in their battle formation. The rest of the party can ride ahead of them, behind them or some other combination- and also let me know where the slavers are riding.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Shiny," Natalia asks, half-listening to the conversation and breaking in, "Any good spell tricks? Maybe...trick orcs down wrong tunnel? Bring food after fight?"

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Natalia's hanging near the front of the group where she can put her +9 spot and listen to good use. However, she's also keeping an eye on the slavers, especially Hilton, if she can.

[Athedia]

Natalia, I am breaking this spell off now. Sorry but I want some time to think. Mithril canceled the spell, feeling the connection fade away into nothingness. Making her way through the group she ended up just behind the ex-slavers.

She didn't trust these men, and with what she felt was good reason. She knew she had promised not to spy on the samurai, so she waited until they and her companions were free of the spell area before casting it under her breath.

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Trying to catch JUST the ex-slavers in a Detect Thoughts.

EDIT: Can you please spoiler the information? So that temptation is blocked.

[Cavelcade]

"Meself, I'd look to create a diversion if I could. Problem's not getting the soldiers to the cave, it's getting a coupla wagons there. Wagons move slow, and they have to follow the path: ground can get real rocky around the caves." He sighs. "Been there before, I 'ave, though many years ago... me cousin's a miner there. Anyway: unless they're distracted the wagons will take too long to get there. Trouble is getting them makin' the diversion out alive..."

Kurt nods in response to his words, seeing the wisdom in his suggestion. "We'd have to overwhelm the camp to let the carts get through...it's a problem for sure. Attack at midday...hm..."

He grows quiet at that point, nodding his thanks for the brief talk, then falling back to behind the slavers, riding on his own as he ponders what he's done and what's still to be done. Getting the carts in...will be a challenge indeed.

'Hm, maybe someone could sneak in invisibly to stop whoever's trying to blow the horn...risky. This whole thing is risky. Crazy. Who am I to wield this blade?'

[CoffeeIncluded]

Um, okay. But Mithril, thank you. So much. You have no idea how important this was to me.

Then Mithril breaks off the connection, leaving Natalia with her thoughts and tangled speech. She falls silent for some time, listening, holding on to that moment where her words were clear and understood, where she actually made sense.

[achinca]

Miriam smiles at Luther "The Gods have funny ways to do things sometimes and often are laisser-faire in a battle. I certainly am not wise enough to understand how they work. And isn't luck a way for the Gods to help us."

She climbs on the horse and holds the samurai quite tightly.

[Admiral]

Miriam smiles at Luther "The Gods have funny ways to do things sometimes and often are laisser-faire in a battle. I certainly am not wise enough to understand how they work. And isn't luck a way for the Gods to help us."

She climbs on the horse and holds the samurai quite tightly.

"If we're talking of ways for the gods to help us," the lieutenant says as they start to ride, "I'll take your healing magic over luck any day."

"Shiny," Natalia asks, half-listening to the conversation and breaking in, "Any good spell tricks? Maybe...trick orcs down wrong tunnel? Bring food after fight?"

Shiny thinks for a while. "The awkward thing about illusions is that sometimes folks can notice they're fake, if they're paying attention" he says finally. "This one time I was trying to use an illusion to cover a daring escape, but I put one too many legs on the fiendish octopus. Once people noticed, the diversion failed, and I had to stay for the whole rest of the wedding reception."

"But there might be a way we can make one camp think an attack is coming without them seeing a single enemy- do what I'd do if we were going in for a charge, just minus the army itself. I use a few spells to surround them with a smokescreen- turn myself invisible, race around the camp bursting up a nice big wall of mist. Perhaps if that's not enough, I conjure the noise of twenty-odd charging soldiers through the dust... if that doesn't make them start calling for reinforcements, I don't know what will."

[Admiral]

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Slaver Will saves:
Hilton: (1d20+1)[4]
Rocky: (1d20+2)[11]
Karn: (1d20+3)[18]

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia grins. "Even if worked, leave ship how? Shiny Hiddenfins?

Her grin broadens into a near-smirk at Shiny's plan. "Call all orcs to wrong spot, then...We run through cleared tunnel, beat orcs to dwarves. Sneak within, strike out. Like Linwood tunnels. But...fast and quiet. And maybe...trap path behind us. Lengthen return. Maybe caltrops, to slow down."

[Admiral]

Natalia grins. "Even if worked, leave ship how? Shiny Hiddenfins?

"Well, that's the embarrassing part: the wedding was in a church in the city, no water in sight. I'm not sure why I thought a fiendish octopus would work, but perhaps I was distracted by the calamari hor d'oeuvres."

Mithril:

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Really, Mithril only:

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Their Int scores are Hilton 16, Rocky 10, Karn 14.

Karn twitches and glances over his shoulder when Mithril tries to penetrate his thoughts.

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Sense Motive: (1d20+2)[17]

Mithril is able to hear Rocky's thoughts, but they are in an exotic language she cannot recognize. His thoughts are slow, as though he's paying most of his attention to the road.

Once she gives up on him, she turns her attention to Hilton's thoughts.

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Why don't I send this by private message. Will have to write up a bit later.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"And why fiendish?" Natalia continues. "Calamari in spice? Revenge for...food poisoning?" She shakes her head. "Really. If fish in city, then...flying fish to flee. Or digging fish, under buildings."

She trails off, pausing in thought for a moment. "Hey...if orcs outside, then...way to burrow in?"

[achinca]

Miriam looks at the Lieutenant "Well, if you are lucky, you won't need my healing skills at all .... but it is good to know I can help a little if needed ...."

She turns towards Shiny and Natalia "How about we continue the fairy tales telling but wait for a plan until we see exactly what we are facing? I might not be as wise as other clerics or intelligent like a wizard but making plans without knowing is not the best use of one's time. I would rather listen to stories ... beautiful stories ...."

[Admiral]

The party continues along the road for the rest of the day. By midday tomorrow, the head samurai explains, they'll have to head off the path as it veers north, so they can continue east to Bellville, and a day later they'll reach the city. At nightfall, they step off the path and build their camp, before heading to sleep. The samurai appoint one of the blue-belted halflings to take first watch, along with one of the party members to join him.

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Whoever volunteers to take first watch, give me spot and listen checks.

Athedia's message coming now. Woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, effects of jet lag.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia volunteers to take the first watch, keeping her blades at the ready as she stands by the blue-belted halfling, her eyes scanning the horizon. She doesn't know whether to look for the Horde or crusaders or slavers or traitors, and so she tries to keep her eyes and ears pealed for anything.

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Spot: (d20+9)[28]
Listen: (d20+9)[25]
EDIT: Yay!

Her eyes aren't built for darkness, but they can sense movement and odd shadows and breaks in patterns through the darkness. And her ears aren't hindered by lack of light, and keep pricked for anything off.

[Athedia]

Mithril was pale when she climbed of the horse, but spoke to no-one. She laid her sleeping roll out on the side of camp farthest from Hilton.

[Cavelcade]

Kurt spends the evening beside the former slavers, engaging them in polite conversation at times but mostly staring at the fire, trying to figure out ways to get into Deldon, or staring at the blade that had been given to him, wondering uncertainly if he deserves to wield it. Finally he sighs and bids the others goodnight, taking it with him as he goes to bed. Whether or not he deserves it, he has it, so he'll have to make himself worthy.

[achinca]

Miriam spent the evening talking with the samurais, especially the ones who fought the Horde and tried to see if any of them had PTSD signs.

After that, she goes to sleep.

[Admiral]

Natalia studies the hills to the south of the road as she keeps guard, though she often glances back towards the former slavers that sleep just a handful of paces away. She's glad that Kurt is between them and her, even as he sleeps.

Natalia's eyes grow accustomed to the moonlight over several hours, and suddenly she spots movement along the top of the southern hills. Focusing on that area, she makes out a large shape above the hills that she is sure wasn't there before, as well as movement along the hills as though something large is climbing down.

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Map is up, see signature.

Natalia has a round to do what she wants. Waking someone up by shaking them is a standard action, or one can scream and wake everyone who succeeds on a Listen check. (They might be unhappy if it's a false alarm). She would be aware, incidentally, that Shiny has a spell (rouse) that can wake a handful of people in a hurry.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia pauses as she sees the things approaching before her. She looks back at everyone asleep.

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Shiny's next to her, she can't kick him awake as a move action?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Slapping her hand to her chest, Natalia mutters the incantation, "Swift claw, sudden strike, sharp current," and immediately feels her muscles tense, senses her reflexes become more keened.

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Cast Cat's grace. Lasts for 10 rounds.

She then screams, "SOMETHING COMING, SOUTH DOWNHILL!" and steps forward to approach it.

[Admiral]

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First: Fighting with 30+ people is very challenging. I will do everything I can to keep everything consistent. Know that as soon as someone says "Hey, why did that green belt samurai have less HP than that orange belt did earlier?", or "Hey, you used to roll seven +9s for attacking and now you're rolling eight," half of the samurai will spontaneously combust to make my job easier.

I'm going to make everyone's Listen checks for them (Not everyone is always woken up immediately by yelling, so you have to make a DC 6.). Then everyone's Init checks, which are blocked into the party members, Slavers, Samurai, and Enemies. Natalia and the enemies will necessarily come first in initiative since they're already awake: they are rolling to determine their order within the top 2.

Coffee, go ahead and move Natalia on the map if you want, up to 30'.

Listen:
Shiny: (1d20-2)[2]
Kurt: (1d20)[20]
Mithril: (1d20+3)[12]
Miriam: (1d20+4)[23]

Karn: (1d20+8)[16]
Rocky: (1d20+3)[12]
Hilton: (1d20+3)[21]

24 samurai, most of whom have +1 or 0 (I'll sort it out): (1d20)[18] (1d20)[19] (1d20)[9] (1d20)[9] (1d20)[18] (1d20)[16] (1d20)[14] (1d20)[19] (1d20)[12] (1d20)[7] (1d20)[15] (1d20)[15] (1d20)[14] (1d20)[1] (1d20)[16] (1d20)[2] (1d20)[1] (1d20)[14] (1d20)[11] (1d20)[9] (1d20)[1] (1d20)[1] (1d20)[16] (1d20)[17]

Intitiative:
Natalia: (1d20+7)[11]
Enemies: (1d20-1)[14]

Mithril: (1d20+2)[7]
Kurt: (1d20+2)[5]
Shiny: (1d20+2)[4]
Samurai: (1d20+1)[14]
Slavers: (1d20+3)[4]

[Admiral]

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INITIATIVE ORDER:
I forgot to roll Miriam's Init: (1d20+1)[3]

Enemies
Natalia
Samurai
Mithril, Kurt
Slavers
Shiny (as of now asleep), Miriam

Incidentally: the samurai were sleeping wearing chain shirts rather than their usual full plate. It occurred to me that if I had 24 soldiers that were in a weak position when they were sleeping, I would leave more than one guard. Thus, there are in total four samurai who have their heavy armor on: a blue belted halfling (upper left), green belted human (upper right), an orange belted human, and a yellow belted dwarf. I will keep track of these- you don't have to.

Natalia's yelling wakes up most of the samurai, except for five who are unshaken by the yelling. Her friends and the slavers snap awake, all except Shiny, who mumbles a few lies to himself as he rolls over.

When Natalia yells, some of the shapes move in the distance, and she makes out a third one appearing on the side of the hill. And suddenly from the top of the hills there comes a boulder flying straight at her.

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Attack: (1d20+6)[14] Damage: (2d6+7)[12]

Natalia's turn.

The boulder whizzes by the rogue- close enough for her to sense its terrifying size.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia's heart nearly stops as she sees the boulder whiz past her. And then her mind snaps back to a few weeks and nearly a lifetime ago, to another boulder, one she didn't dodge. A boulder that knocked her off the wall and nearly killed her and led her friends to think she'd abandoned them and, in a way, did A boulder that was ultimately the cause of the scar wrapping around her side. This boulder, here and now, left her unharmed, but the previous one, well, this boulder brings all those painful memories back. And the creatures who threw that one...

No, no, not again not again not again!

"GIANTS!!!!" she shrieks, the raw unbridled panic ripping its way out of her throat and echoing in the valley. "GIANTS BOULDERS LIKE BEFORE GIANTS GIANTS GIANTS!!!"

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Oh boy. This is definitely going to open up some fresh wounds for her.

I know it may not be giants, but this is DEFINITELY what her mind is going to snap to.

Is there cover anywhere

Natalia looks for cover. If not, she rouses Shiny (unless her screaming woke him. In that case, she'll draw her bow and attack.)

[Admiral]

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Oh, you wanted to know if Shiny woke up:

(1d20-2)[6]

Just barely!

As noted OOC, there is no cover. Unless you want to run behind the samurai, which will not exactly impress them.

Shiny shakes his head as he wakes in response to Natalia's screaming.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"GIANTS!!! AWAY! BACK!!!" she screams in terror as she draws her bow and fires blindly at the beast before her.

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Attack: (d20+10)[30]
Crit: (d20+10)[23]
Damage: (d6)[6]

18 total damage!

She can't see the arrow hit, but she can hear it--and by the sound, it hit hard.

[Admiral]

"UNDER ATTACK!!!" shouts Dresden as he wakes in time to see a boulder fly by Natalia. Other samurai that were awake take up the war cry- "SOSHIMA!" and in combination with Natalia's yells, everyone wakes up. They step to their feet, draw their blades, and prepare themselves for battle.

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That's the samurai's turn. Everyone's awake. Mithril and Kurt now.