The Forbidden Land of Sundara: Insurgency IC

[Plushie Arz]

KATRIA

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It wasn't until she was within thirty foot that she saw what appeared to be a halfling woman and a panther standing over two bloodied corpses. Despite the bloodstains, Katria's keen eyesight was able to make out the metal armour and markings of Order soldiers.

DM: +500XP to Katria for the roleplaying.

BRANNA

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Mabh had already detected movement in the distance and the panther purred softly to gain Branna's attention. Thirty feet away, Branna could see an elf approaching. Even though they had never spoken before, the druidess recognised the elven woman as Katria, a well-known dancer in Kiiska and something of an oddity among the hedonistic elves.

[Alabenson]

Well, either Khallis was incompetent or desperate. The woman was probably some simple, naive country bumpkin who thought dressing up like a warrior made you one.

What’s the matter? Daelric asked, his grin never leaving his face, Has all of this raping and looting taken too much attention away from the Order’s holy mission of genocide? Narrowing his eyes slightly, Daelric continued As for myself, don’t discount the value of being able to move unseen, especially in a place like this. A little subtlety can often be much more valuable than brute strength.

Daelric turns to Khallis

Spoiler: Elvish

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Please tell me this woman isn’t the rube she appears to be. I didn’t come to this festering jungle to babysit some naïve child.

[WebTiefling]

Branna jumped to her feet. If it had been soldiers, she would have immediately attacked or run, but considering the opinion most of the residents of the city held for their occupiers there was a decent chance the dancer would be happy to have a couple soldiers dead, or at least wouldn't make a fuss.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to put as laudable a spin on this as she could. She turned her head and spit at the bodies on the ground.

"Serves them right! They just tried to rape the wrong girl!"

She turns toward the graceful dancer and crosses her arms, belligerence in her upturned jaw. Waiting to see how the elf would react.

Spoiler: Bluff!

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(1d20)[12](12)

[sunwukong]

When Gulbeck mentions that she fought in the Second Darkstar War under the command of Avaraxus, Baku is deeply impressed, though he tries not to be too obvious about it. The Ghann tribe was too small to send many warriors, and none of those who were sent ever returned. Nonetheless, the stories of the Warchief's campaigns are a source of pride and inspiration to all goblinoids.

He quickly realizes that if he wants to advance in the ranks of the Harbringers, his time is better spent talking to a veteran like Gulbeck than to the likes of Fat Waros. "So, what other groups are around that we might form an alliance with?" he asks. "I heard there were lizards crawling about, though I don't care for them giving the kobolds any fancy ideas. And if you were at Kae'ris, I can't imagine you want to work with no skinny elf-worms. Are there other bands of the Strong People* that have not answered the call of Jagon?"

Spoiler: *Goblin

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"The Strong People:" A Goblin term encompassing both orcs and goblinoids.

[Vertharrad]

Katria

Katria walks to within 10 feet of the bodies then stops. She looks down at the soldiers for 5 seconds. Then she looks up to take stock of the halfling standing before her.

She puts her hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "If you think I have a problem with someone defending themselves your wrong. I have no love for these monsters in uniform. Your the first one I've seen around here who is willing to challenge them. My name is Katria, what's your name? Do you need any help?"

She eyes the both of them warily. Jarren said to watch myself...I hope I haven't made a mistake approaching this woman. That panther could eat me in one swallow. She appears calm.

[WebTiefling]

Branna relaxes and excited nods.

"Oh good! I wasn't sure how you might react. They're scum and the city, indeed, the whole continent would be much better off if they all left.

"You're that dancer, aren't you? I saw you once a while back - it was just like the wind blowing through stone canyons!"

She reaches down and picks up the snake, petting it a few times before it vanishes.

"Would you like a drink and something to eat?" She riffles through the guards' belts looking for any little coin pouches. "These two wanted to treat us, I'm sure."

Spoiler: Search the bodies for valuables

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(1d20)[4]

[Plushie Arz]

BAKU

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"I don't know of others in this city. We all follow Horgarth here, despite his ways. Stick together, be strong." Gulbeck took a seat on a small stool by the doorway. Her mailed fists closed around the hilt of her jagged morning star. "The elves, we handle. The ones here are not as soft as the maggots in Kae'ris. Some good fighters in that lot. There are also pinkskins here who want blood. There are worse things in the city than the Midnight Syndicate."

BRANNA, KATRIA

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DM: On the bodies of the two soldiers, Branna found;
Masterwork Dagger
Longsword x2
Chainmail
Potion of Barkskin
Wand of Dancing Lights
30sp, 16cp

DAELRIC, FEEONA

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Spoiler: Elven

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"She's more dangerous than she looks. She could gut you if you're not careful."

Khallis gave Daelric a wry smile. "Play nice, both of you. We're all on the same side here. You both have the distinct advantage of being humans, a rarity one might say when fighting Order oppression." She traced her fingers along a groove in the Whitewood walls and the timber rippled, revealing a hidden alcove stashed with dozens of rolled up parchments. She picked out a vellum scroll and unfurled it across the table. It was a map of Kiiska

"The Order has recently captured some of our people and they're planning to relocate them to a more secure location. They're currently held in Redmaiden Hall, a holding centre about twenty minutes away. It's lightly guarded and the two of you are ideal for this task."

[Vertharrad]

Katria

"I agree, they need to be stopped from ever doing this again. do you intend to just leave their bodies here or get rid of them elsewhere?"

Katria looks away shyly, blushing. "I wasn't that good, was I? To me and some of the others dancing comes from the heart. I never thought about being good at it, I do it to make others happy."

"However much I appreciate your offer I have no need of sustenance, I would instead offer it to those who need it more than me. That is if they weren't hiding in fear."

Katria keeps a lookout for trouble while Branna searches the soldiers.

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listen (1d20+10)[24] spot (1d20+3)[15]

[Alabenson]

Daelric gave Khallis a curt nod and peered down at the map. When you say you say “lightly guarded”, exactly how big of a garrison are we talking about? Also, what can you tell us about the layout of the building? Is it typical elven construction, or a different style?

[sunwukong]

Baku drops to a squat, so that he's level with Gulbeck as they continue talking. "So, what have the Kiiskans and the humans done lately? Or is it just us doing all of the actual fighting?" He pauses for a moment, then offers, "I wouldn't mind helping the Warlord encourage the elves and human traitors to kill more Sun-lovers. That'd be something to see." Baku bares his teeth in a sneering grin, clearly enjoying the idea of watching his old enemies fighting his new ones. "I'll even go fight with them, if the Warlord wants me to."

[Plushie Arz]

BAKU

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Gulbeck laughed throatily. "I said that to Horgarth months ago and he sneered. Horgarth may fight good but he's not interested in war or alliances. He's happier eating, drinking and rutting with his slaves. We don't have numbers to fight big battles and he only takes supply wagons."

DAELRIC, FEEONA

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Khallis unfurled another document, marked with grids. "This is a copy of the plans. It used to be a Seminary for Nai'Tuhra but the Order has it converted into holding cells. A squad of twenty soldiers are supposed to keep watch but they're down to thirteen."

[WebTiefling]

OOC:This is all done in a nonstop chatter with barely a pause for breathing much less time for interruptions unless you put a serious effort into it.

"Hmmmm." Branna considers the bodies and glances around. "They could probably track me down magically if they put enough effort into it. I think it would be better to keep them from wondering at all. Two guards doing something they shouldn't and got jumped, which is exactly what they intended."

She quickly yanks down their pants and tells Mahb to drag them over into the alley.

"This will keep anyone from wondering. They were derelict in their duty and got caught with their pants down in a bad part of town. They won't even think twice about it. Hmmm, any body that's out here for ten minutes would get stripped of valuables too."

Branna grabs the wand, potion, and dagger.

"Ok, you don't need to eat? Huh, that's weird. Do you ever have to take a dump?"

She tosses the coins out into the middle of the street.

"There, those should be gone in two minutes, and will certainly be a help to whoever finds them. I don't know what sort of wand this is, but the potion is one I recognize the smell of. Barkskin. I can't imagine what druid made it for them. I'll wait on doing anything with the wand - if they investigate they might look for it particularly, but if you would like I will gladly sell it and toss the money to someone."

She jumps up on top of the panther.

"Come on. You may not eat, but I certainly do. You're pretty good to people, aren't you? I like the idea of stuff from these guys going to help people. Maybe if we get rid of all these guys we can help lots of people. The jungle will like it better too ........."

Branna continues to chatter as they head to an up-tree inn that is friendly to locals and won't cooperate with any investigation.

[Vertharrad]

Katria

Katria waits patiently for the non-stop chatter to end before replying. She says with a jovial tone. "I can assure you that my body still works mostly like everyone else, although I require no sustenance I am provided for in a fashion and still must relieve myself like others do. I don't push my own lifestyle on others if you can find a use for the wand keep it, besides seeing as how you did all the work anything having been offered to me from you would be generous and really your choice. I'm curious what exactly is considered as normal gear for a soldier? I have always been kind and selfless since when I could remember, even as a child. The jungle could do with more people wanting to better it, rather than chop it down or defile it for some greedy excuse."

She looks around to make sure their relatively alone before going on in a low voice. "You have a panther companion, and mention druids casually. Are you a druid or ranger yourself? Do you know how the fey in the jungle fared?"

[Plushie Arz]

BRANNA, KATRIA

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The Revanthas aul Bell, or Friend in Hand, was a small bar nestled above the Undercity and hidden by an intricate network of vines and branches. It was a spot usually frequented by half-elves although with the occupation, former Kiiskan soldiers and mercenaries are counted among its clientele. The owner, Dominiel, a middle aged half elf with a notable belly was known to both women as a discreet purveyor of potions and other illicit wares. It was a relatively quiet night when Katria and Branna made their visit. Dominiel stood behind the counter, cleaning steel goblets with a rag while Avalia, his daughter served bottles of wine to a table of six elven bowmen.

DM: Knowledge (Nature) check from Branna to know about the Fey. Nobody has Knowledge (Local) ranks.

[Star_In_a_Sky]

Feeona

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Feeona's frown deepened throughout the mockery, wondering how she went from introductions to insults for having implied the man brave. She only realized during the attack that the bow had been everything but gallant. To be at fault was human, to forgo attack humane, to forgive another – hallowed, she reminded herself, although she failed to recall who had ever taught her that. Like as much it had been her mother. When the elf chided them both, she nodded her agreement at their now having been allies against the tyranny. She made herself smile at him.

“I bear him and his no quarrel,” she said simply and approached the table when the documents came one near after the other.

“If they should be twenty, it can't be so difficult to attach ourselves, but actually subduing thirteen armed soldiers is something else,” Feeona mused aloud. “The best window may well be when a pair of guards change shifts. Waylaying and replacing.” She glanced between her two companions to gauge just how well her idea seemed to be syncing. “It comes down to how much time we truly have until they might be moved, and how well we know their patterns, but we might well be able to get to the prisoners without shedding any blood. Even if it did come to that, we would likely be behind any makeshift defences.”

[Plushie Arz]

DAELRIC, FEEONA

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"The prison is on the outskirts of the city." Said Khallis, leaning over to mark its location on the map. Feeona could smell the scent of cinnamon from her body. "It's a low priority transfer, hence the lack of guards. They've underestimated the prisoners though. Streos and Sophiea are both strong fighters. Shenra is a mage, someone we need. It'll be much easier once you free them."

[Alabenson]

Daelric listened to Feeona’s plan with a smirk Take another look at the floor plans; if I had to guess, I’d say the bulk of the guards are going to be positioned within view of that staircase on the ground floor, with the prisoners being held in the basement. Waiting for the guard change might make it easier to slip through the front door, but you still have to get down the stairs, into the basement, get the prisoners out of the cells, and then get out the way you came.
He looked at the drawings again and scowled. It wasn’t the most secure building he had ever seen, but it was far from open. One ground entrance plus the two windows, a fairly open floor plan, and thirteen guards. Stealth was off the table; he was by himself he might be able to sneak in without being noticed, but Feeona didn’t look like she could sneak past a deaf man in that armor, and sneaking the prisoners back out would be too difficult anyway. Likewise, brute force wasn’t going to cut it either, there were simply too many guards to handle at once, at least without risking witnesses who could identify them. Daelric gave Feeona another glance; deception was probably off the table too. That didn’t leave many options left. Then Daelric remembered an old burglar’s trick. It was crude, and the other two probably wouldn’t like it, but it was likely their best shot at getting as many of the guards out of the way as possible.
Khallis, let me ask you a question, Daelric began, his smile returning, how are house fires generally handled out there?

[WebTiefling]

"Hi Dominiel! What's going on tonight?" Branna stands on Mahb's furry back to get on the outsized-for-her stool. "I'll take a bowl of rice and monkey soup, and a cup of your finest water." She tosses several coppers onto the table.

A bit more quietly, "They probably stole it some time. The potion too. I doubt many druids would make one for the likes of them."

Back to a normal voice. "Yup, I'm a druid. Like you in some ways, I was drawn to it since I was a little girl." She grins. "Littler girl. Went charging out into the jungle as soon as I could toddle."

Her vivacious grin dims. "Seeing what these soldiers are doing to the forest and how they're treating this city really makes my sap rise. Have you seen what they have done on their mechanus-damned road through the jungle?!"

[WebTiefling]

OOC: Sorry, I screwed up my roll code and it never came through.

Spoiler: Knowledge(nature) about Fey's status

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(1d20+13)[22]

[Plushie Arz]

DAELRIC, FEEONA

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"Depends on where the fire's at. On the treetops, the guards and enchanters usually respond pretty fast but in the Undercity, a fire can burn for hours before anybody does anything. With those half-elves guarding the city? A fire in that part of the city can burn for days."

[Alabenson]

Meaning that if a fire starts near the prison, the ones who’re most likely to respond are going to be the guards. Perfect. It’s simple, then; we start a fire in an abandoned home near the prison, and then our resident champion of the Order can rally the guards into forming an impromptu fire brigade before the fire threatens the prison itself. With any luck, we should be able to convince half of them to vacate the premises. We then kill whoever wasn’t gallant enough to go put out the blaze, release the prisoners, and then get out of there before anyone’s the wiser.
Hell, with the average discipline level of the troops stationed here, I’d say there’s a good chance we could get the whole garrison to simply abandon the prisoners to the fire.

[Plushie Arz]

BRANNA, KATRIA

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"The usual Branna. I see you brought a friend." Dominiel tipped his head to his daughter. "Avalia, the kitchens! Bring out some stew and some venison for the cat."

The fey were elusive, even around druids such as Branna. When the Order invaded, many fled deeper into the jungles but some of the more martially inclined put up strong resistance against the followers of the Morning Sun. Of course, there were considerable casualities. Branna knew of at least half a dozen dryads and even a Verdant Prince who succumbed to the Order mages' spells. Of the Fey who live in the outskirts of Kiiska however, Branna knew of three who were hidden from Order and half-elven patrols. Síle the Nymph still remained in her lagoon to the Northwest. Bitterwort, a Murderjack was also known to lurk around the swamps and Cirol, a half-fey Centaur still roamed the forests.

[Plushie Arz]

DM: +400RPXP to Feeona and Daelric for the roleplay. A bonus +150XP to Daelric for conceiving of the plan.

DAELRIC, FEEONA

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"And they'll believe you because you're human." Concluded Khallis, a smile forming on her lips. "That is brilliant. I have two vials of alchemist fire. Would that be enough to start burning?"

[sunwukong]

Gulbeck's earlier comment about following Horgarth "despite his ways" starts to make more sense to Baku. Clearly, Horgarth is no Avaraxus. "Well..." Baku says slowly, "he didn't order you not to work with other groups, did he? Why don't you and me go talk to some of the elves or something? I know they're good fighters, my tribe battled them for many generation. We can't make a real alliance without the Warlord's permission, of course, but maybe we can carry out some extra attacks on the side." Baku doesn't know his way around the city too well yet, and he's hoping that Gulbeck will suggest which other faction of resistance fighters to talk to first.

[Plushie Arz]

BAKU

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"And more loot. The pinkskins have good steel." Gulbeck's lips curled in a grin, revealing her yellowed tusks. "And we smash the humans. There's a big elf conclave near here. How do we stop elves from killing us? They're used to shooting hobgoblins and orcs."

[sunwukong]

Baku thinks for a moment, then says, "It's that damned curfew right now, isn't it? The Sun-lovers are all scared of the dark, and even the elves might as well be blind. We stay outta sight, find some fool elf who's bumped into a couple of Sun-lovers, and kill 'em. Then we tell the elf to go talk to the guards at the compound for us, get them to hold their fire."

If Gulbeck agrees to the plan, Baku pulls the hood of his enchanted cloak over his head and starts out the door of the Harbringers' hideout. The Undercity is fairly dark already, but Baku takes care to stay in the shadows of the trees and bridges above. All the while, he looks and listens intently for any sign--screams, begging, the flats (if lucky) of swords striking soft elvish flesh--of a curfew enforcement in progress. An arrow is nocked to the string of his longbow as he skulks about...and he doesn't plan to go back until he's had the occasion to fire it.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Hide: (1d20+17)[27]
Spot (60' Darkvision): (1d20+7)[13]
Listen: (1d20+7)[25]

[Plushie Arz]

BAKU

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"Sounds like plan." Gulbeck grabbed a dark cloak from the hangers and hoisted a bandoleer of arrows and other implements. She clutched her morning star, a cruel weapon of adamantine and steel. "We bring death to the maggots."

The evening air was cooler than the smoking haze of the Harbringer basement and an uncharacteristic silence held the city in thrall. Baku and Gulbeck made their way silently along the quiet decks and platforms that ran parallel to the streets of the Undercity. Fifteen minutes later and out of the Steel Pits neighbourhood, they heard voices from the streets some thirty feet below.
“Sir, this is the third time we’re here. I swear. I’ve seen this tree twice before!”
“Shut up Private. This place is swarming with rebels. You saw what they did to our supply caravan earlier.”
“Perhaps we ought to call command? They can teleport some mages!”
“No, command says we can't do that unless there’s fighting.”

Baku looked down and his keen eyesight made out six Order soldiers in heavy armour marching in a tight cluster formation. A more lightly equipped woman in black leather armour trailed a few steps behind them, her eyes trained to the treetops looking for signs of danger. She had a repeating crossbow in hand and her steps were slow and measured.

DM: Hide check from Baku.

[Vertharrad]

Katria

Katria its down on a stool near Branna and gives the proprietor a smile when he comes over. "Greetings sir. Having a busy night?"

She turns to Branna "I was with the other elves when we were forced out of the city, yes I saw what they did to our beautiful jungle. It sickens me to think that I used to not care about what race or gender a person was and treated everyone equal. Now I strongly distrust humans. I don't know if I can ever give them the same consideration I would any other creature." She gets a mischievous look on her face. "Although not all the time, I too have stole away into the jungle in my younger days to frolic, laugh, and have fun basking in the shear magnificent beauty of it all."

[Star_In_a_Sky]

Feeona

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Feeona only dimly noted where Khallis pointed on the map over the scent of cinnamon that called without being cloying, or her lilting voice that was as pleasant as any psalm. She leaned back as a strange giddiness ran through her. Daelric offered an alternative, Khallis gave her insight, and Feeona only made the odd sound of acquiesce until she trusted herself once more. She cleared her throat to ensure she would speak without issue.

“A lot of lives could be saved, and all for a distraction,” Feeona said finally, sounding happy. “I can do it. We'll all be safer for my knowing certain basics, though. Who commands the Order here? Where's the prison's nearest source of water? Where should we meet after?”

It would be a slight balance between tackling the fire long enough to ensure success, but avoiding it being done so poorly that evacuating prisoners would sound more sensible. But unless the task fell apart, it wouldn't take Daelric more than two minutes to subdue remaining guards and free the hostages. She would just have to fathom up orders in the meanwhile.

[Plushie Arz]

FEEONA, DAELRIC

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"High Justiciar Jacob Helarm commands the Order soldiers in Kiiska but he delegated the area to Marshal Arwell Wessing. There should be a well two blocks down from the prison. That should give us enough time to deal with any stragglers left inside."

Khallis pointed to another area of the map directly adjacent to the prison. "This trail in the Undercity should lead you through the Steel Pits, a neighbourhood held by Jagon worshippers. The Order avoid it but you should follow the trail to lose any trackers. We'll meet there and then double our way back here."

DM: Knowledge (History) check from Feeona to know more about Marshal Wessing.