[IC]All Creatures Great and Small (5E)

[Sirithhyando]

Thanks for the insight Ana... I plan to startle Jasper to see his reaction first. And i'm really going for Malgbyam. There was also something strange in the cart but the spell didn't let me focus on it. And if Jasper isn't aware of Malgbyam presence, we'll probably know quick enough.

Spoiler: ooc

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since he's coming to the forest, hiding in the form of Malgbyam should be easier.

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- "That is a good idea Ana. I am thinking once Jasper stops the cart, I will leap into the back to confront Malgbyam if I see even a twitch from him. If Jasper is unaware of his presence, his life would be in danger. If he is, we need to question him." Fai Ralen says and takes off matching Ana's speed and attempting to hide when they were getting closer to where they would encounter Jasper. Spoiler Show Stealth: (1d20+7)[12]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Clinging tightly to Al's back, I feel worried and bewildered. There's so much going on that we don't really understand, and a lot of it is likely to end up with us getting hurt. I don't make a sound though, just activate the innate invisibility magic that I discovered earlier. It's quite easy to do when I'm this scared.

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Wood
Zipping through the tress along the western path, it isn't long until you hear Jasper's off-tune melody whistling among the rattling wheels.

Spoiler: OOC

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There were several strategies proposed. I'll let you play out how you approach Jasper.

[Sirithhyando]

Al comes down in a place where he can't be seen by Jasper or Malgbyam. Hazel, can you go spy on hem? Especially Malgbyam? We dont want to lose him.
He change his form to look like Malgbyam and goes in the middle of the road after a bend, waiting for Jasper and his cart.

Spoiler: ooc

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Al get's a "Detect thought" spell on and recast it until Jasper is within range and he can know the real reaction of Jasper when he sees the false Malgbyam.

[Ninja_Prawn]

"Aye aye. I'll make a sound like an owl hooting if I think there's a risk of losing them."

Still invisible, I flutter over to the wagon and maintain a position above it. I take a look to see where the two are sitting, whether they're doing anything notable and what sort of mood they seem to be in.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Dexterity (Stealth) to fly quietly: (1d20+11)[20]
Wisdom (Insight) to spy: (1d20+7)[15] Note that Hazel can also lip-read if they talk too quietly to hear.

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Woods
Jasper's cart rattles closer to the changed Al while Fai hides in the bushes, Nastasiya listens from underground, and Hazel flits invisibly overhead. Jasper acts as though he is lazily driving his cart along but Hazel can see by his quick looks to the sides and his tense grip om the reigns that he is very alert to his surroundings. No one else is visible on the cart, but there could be space under the tarp in back for someone to hide. It does not appear to be moving.

Al can feel Jasper just coming into range before his is visible, thanks to good positioning on his part. Surface thoughts flow quickly as if from a stream. "Right,clear.Left,clear.Branchcreak.Justbreeze.Rig ht,clear.Oddsmell.Grunginbush!Ambush!Samefrombefor e?Notattacking.Drophandtoward...MALGBYAMONROAD!ESC APED?HOW?INMIND!"
Al feels him slam shut the door to his mind.

Jasper is sitting bolt clouched in his seat, his mule stopped. While still looking somewhat bleary eyed, none of the companions doubt he is tense and ready for action. "Whatcha' blockin' the road for, my lord? Did I forget anotha' crossin' tax?" he drawls with a little chuckle.

Spoiler: Int Contest

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Jasper - [roll]1d20+2[/roll
Al - (1d20+1)[2]
EDIT: Well, I blew that roll, but even had he rolled a 1 he still would have been victorious

.

[Sirithhyando]

Al smile A tax? No... though i'd have a quick riddle for you... speak the truth and you live. Where did you see me go a moment ago?

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Wood
Jasper wriggles in his seat, figuratively and literally. "Heh, heh...eh...that there's a good one, my lord. Er... when you say...eh...moment, are ya' sayin'...uh..." Throwing the reins onto the back of the mule, he somersaults backwards over his tarped cargo, one hand grabbing the edge of the tarp, and the other pulling a dirk from his long boots. He places its blade at the base of the skull of the unconscious, face-down goblin revealed when he pulls away the covering. "Your last location was here, my lord," he says, dropping his affected accent. "As I now have two Malgbyam, I am in excess by one. Which shall I remove first? Suggestions, my lord?"

[Ninja_Prawn]

I'm confused. Isn't two Malgbyams two too many? I wonder if Jasper found the real Malgbyam like that, or if he knocked him out on purpose. Is he being sarcastic when he calls Malgbyam a lord?

I hope Al has some ideas...

[Sirithhyando]

Hobgoblin... lord... and now his accent change... Al wondered a moment about how he should act, though thinking this creature must be wicked... Al smile So... you took the wrong me? What am I gonna do with you?

Al circle the cart with confidence to see the content of the cargo under the tarp. Isn't that a funny problem? So, i'll be honest with you... i'm kind of pissed right now and i'm getting hungry. I don't usually eat human meat but I wonder how you'd look on a spike roasting over a fire... convince me not to do so, or you'll be fed to the creatures of this forest.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I'd better pay close attention to his response, to see if I can figure out where his loyalties lie.

Spoiler: Roll

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Wisdom (Insight): (1d20+7)[25]

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- Fai Ralen tries to figure out what is going on with this man while he considers whether or not he should attack. Spoiler Show Insight: (1d20+7)[13] Perception too in case that's of some use: (1d20+7)[16]

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Wood

Spoiler: Al

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The cart is filled with small crates containing some vegetables and bags of milled wheat.

Spoiler: Fai

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From your angle, you cannot see much. You do notice Nastasiya's visible finger snaking around on the ground.

His gaze is long and steady at the circling hobgoblin. When the disguised couatl reaches the back of the cart, Jasper slips down off the cart tot he ground, facing the fake Malgbyam. He moves himself between the false hobgoblin and Fai Ralen's bush. "To be honest myself, you don't seen quite yourself, my lord. Combined with the aura of magic I sense from you, I'm not entirely sure you are who you say. I only need answers from the real Malgbyam." He gestures to the unconscious figure in the wagon. "However, as I am unsure of your role or affiliation, we can continue this game, if you like, or perhaps, something more straight forward?"

Spoiler: Hmmmm

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Hazel - (1d20+10)[13]
Al - (1d20+2)[5]

Spoiler: Hazel and Fai

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You notice that with his off-weapon hand, he is moving his fingers in a strange way. He did the same thing when he met you on the river.

Spoiler: Hazel

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He is using Harper finger-sign, identifying him as a Harper agent and asking if any others are Harpers. You also sense his use of "my lord" is sarcastic. You conclude he is playing a very careful game, not knowing who he is up against, but he seems to be the real Jasper you met by the river.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I flutter down to where Al is standing, and whisper in his ear: "Al, I think he has taken Malgbyam prisoner and intends to question him for intelligence. He's still on our side."

[Sirithhyando]

Al smile at Jasper comment and acquiesce at his demand.
Very well, I was just being careful also.
Al form change back to the Couatl Jasper saw earlier.
I sensed you in the presence of Malgbyam... i wasn't sure if you betrayed us or not. We can't be too careful, i'm sure you can understand. Should we continue at the place we said we'd be meeting?

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- Fai Ralen, being careful, continues to watch rather than revealing himself. And still ready to pounce if need be.

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Woods
"Oh, for Crymea's sake!" Jasper cries, slipping his dirk back in his boot. "The day you stop taking this overly careful is the day we stop meeting like this, I suppose." He throws the tarp back over Malgbyam. "His lordship here popped in front of me down the path and demanded I take him to Scornubel post haste. I caught him in the back while he scanned the forest. He wasn't hard to take down. I assume that was your doing?" he asks with eyes raised. "Well, we'll take care of him after we find what he knows. Try and stay clear of him in case his master comes looking. Let's get back to the red oak clearing." He hops back to his seat and urges his beast along the path.

Once in the clearing, he lugs Malgbyam's unconscious form under the cart, ties his legs to the wheels, and covers him one again with the tarp. "So..." he says settling into the middle of the clearing in a comfortable squat, "you said before that your memories were a bit scrambled. Let me talk for a while and we'll see what sounds familiar."

"You are The Companions. You have been fighting evil the Western Heartlands for several years, both with the Harpers and on your own. Hazel..." he glances around, "was one of my recruits for the Harpers, while Al," he looks over at the couatl with a smile, "we known each other a bit longer. But let's stay focused on the recent, your last mission."

"For several years, organized bands of marauders and slavers have made a living raiding the waterside towns of the river of Chionthar Ranging from Fort Moninglord to Iriaebor, they have descended quickly and ruthlessly upon the small towns and villages, and carried off innocent citizens into the night. Though these marauders were not approved of by the lords and rulers of the Western Heartlands where they raided, they were allowed to continue their depredations. Feuding amongst the lords and lack of funds prevented all but an occasional naval battle with the villains and the slow fortification of the towns. Bribery was often a more effective method of protecting one's lands from the incursions of these avaricious water-rats.

Recently, however, the slavers' attacks have become more frequent and vicious. Believing their prey to be weak and helpless, the raiders have burnt entire villages and pulled down the walls of towns. Women, children, and whole families have disappeared; and though the bribes were accepted, the agreements were ignored. Vast tracts of riverside have been reduced to ashes, left barren except for packs of wild dogs.
The Harpers finally became determined to take action, bypassing the petty squabbles of the lords about the best way to unite against the marauders of the yellow sails. Through information gained from escaped slaves and those fortunate enough to have been found and bought by family and friends, the Harpers have traced the slavers to the land from which they direct their swift attacks. A plan of stealth had been chosen - a small band of adventurers to attempt what couldn't be done by the combined armies of the lords - to infiltrate the slavers and destroy them from within.

You, the Companions: Hazel, Al, Fai, Anastisya, Amalar, Lexan, Griffin, Illti, and Nerelas, would disguise yourselves to join a supply freight headed for Scornubel. Harper informants knew that shipment would be carrying a new batch of slaves. You would join the caravan, blend in with the captured slaves, and get be brought in to the stronghold. There, you would escape the holding cells and find the cargo form the freight holding your equipment along with a rough map of the inside of the citadel, acquired at quite a cost. From there you would catch the slave lords unaware and be done with them. Capture, if possible, but kill if resistant.

I saw the freighter come upstream and tie up at their warehouse dock. Even though I knew they were doing it, I couldn't see the slaves off-loaded, but I assumed you got in. From there, I have no idea what happened."

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- Fai Ralen, listens to this quietly and patiently. When Jasper is finished he comments, "And thus why the need for what information Malgbyam can offer. I see."

[Ninja_Prawn]

"Yes. I still can't remember much of what happened after we went into the citadel so anything the hobgoblin knows about that would help fill in the blanks," I say. "It's safe to assume that the slave lords are still at large, though?"

[The Walrus]

Anastasiya had judged the situation to be safe and emerged from the ground to better hear Jasper's information. Although parts of it seemed familiar, there was, to her disappointment, no sudden moment of revelation and total recall. In particular, the druid was slightly worried that she couldn't recall anything at all about 'Nerelas'. The information was certainly welcome, though. Fighting these slavers must have been the purpose Chauntea had reincarnated the companions for.

"Before fighting Malgbyam earlier, we managed to trick him into giving up a bit of information. Um, I don't know how truthful he was with any of it, but he claimed that the Companions had been betrayed, and that they died in his master's stronghold. At the time he said that, I think he was catching on to our trick, so it may have just been a lie to try to make us not trust one another. But, as much as I don't want to believe it, it is a little suspicious that Nerelas wasn't among us when we woke up after, um, we died. And, er, I'm afraid I don't really remember anything about him at all..."

After stopping briefly to see how Jasper and her fellow companions reacted to this, Anastasiya continued her speech.

"There is another possibility, though. Malgbyam claimed his master could use powerful divination magic. Um, I think we can believe him on that one, since this diviner seemed to have predicted that we would return from the dead, and ordered Malgbyam and his troops to go searching for any signs of us. Uh, we were aware that the slavers had access to divination magic, right? If we didn't know that, or if we underestimated how strong their powers were, that might also explain why our mission failed. "

The earth elemental grew a little nervous as she thought about the possibilities of what sort of scrying magic could be being used on her without her knowledge, and began to pace around the clearing.

"Our main advantage right now is that although these 'marauders of the yellow sails' might know that the Companions are still around, they don't know what forms we're in. Uh, assuming Malgbyam didn't manage to get a message out in the time between slipping away from our battle with him and when you caught him. Oh, did I mention that he has a ring that allows him to teleport? Might want to take that from him sooner rather than later... er, but I digress. My point is, right now, the slavers won't have any specific countermeasures against the abilities of our new forms, which, based on our recent fight, are quite strong. The longer we wait, though, the greater the risk that their divinations or spies will cause that advantage to slip away. And, the more the villagers of the Chionthar will suffer. So, I know I'm usually more cautious than this, but... if we know where their stronghold is located... can any of you think of any reasons why we shouldn't mount an attack on them as soon as possible?"

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- Fai Ralen, has no particular reaction to the news of betrayal. It was just a fact about a person he couldn't recall. Of course it would be important for this person to pay for their crimes, but there was no emotion attached to that thought. At the mention of the ring, Fai Ralen will go and take it off Malgbyam if he can find it. Then thinking about it, he takes away everything else Malgbyam might have as well aside from his clothes, though including any boots or capes or hats or the like as he recalls these things can have magic. Thinking about what Anastasiya had to say he replies, "Yes, I can. If they have powerful divinations, then before facing them we should seek out some way to protect ourselves from such. Else we will face forces we cannot hope to combat and any variety of traps."

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Woods

Spoiler: Fai Ralen

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When you remove the tarp from Malgbyam, he lies still, unconscious. He does have a ring on his left hand which you remove. His boots and cloak are a little more difficult to remove but you manage to roll him around enough to remove them. He does not have any weapons, but an empty dagger scabbard is on his belt.

Spoiler: Ring

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It is an empty Ring of Spell Storing

Jasper stands and begins pacing. "I was taking a shift at the ferry point hoping for news one way or the other. As no alarm or rumors came through, I can only assume they still live," he says to Hazel.

He leaps back as the ground rumbles and Anastasiya rises from the earth. The dirk reappears in his hand until the ground begins to speak and no one else seems surprised. He casually returns the blade and continues to listen. "Betrayal. Hmmm. Yes, we know that their wizard, Ajakstu, favors divination, but we had a double bluff running that should have covered your movements. They should not have seen this coming. Nerelas. I don't want to believe it. Where are the others? I saw a tiger, a dragon, and perhaps some halflings."

When Anastasiya and Fai speak of attack and traps, Jasper nods. "I agree. Our advantage could lie in the unexpected. If Malgbyam was sent to seek you out at your old haunts, they may suspect something but they may not know everything. It's time to find out what we are up against." Returning to his cart, he fishes a flask out of a bag behind his seat. He holds it up. "A handy concoction. Force this down his throat and he'll only speak the truth for about an hour. Give me a hand." He crouches at the base of the cart and removes the tarp. This time, Malgbyam's eyes flash with anger around the group and he begins to struggle against his bindings.

[Ninja_Prawn]

"Where are the others? I saw a tiger, a dragon, and perhaps some halflings."

In reply to this, I tell him: "oh, Fai Ralen and I were the halflings. Disguises, you know? Griff and Lexan should be around somewhere... they were hurt fighting Malgbyam's band, so they might have gone off to recover. The dragon is Illti. He flew away to do some reconnaissance and hasn't come back yet."

I think I'll let the others take the lead in the interrogation.

[Ramsus]

Fai Ralen of Glaivereach Grung Monk Concentrating On: -- "This holds spells and is empty. Would you like this Hazel?" Fai Ralen asks, holding the ring out to her if she wishes to take it.

[Ninja_Prawn]

"Oh, thanks! That sounds really useful... unless Ana wants it...?"

[The Walrus]

"Um, you can keep it. My finger is probably too large for it, and, um, I've forgotten how to do magic," Anastasiya said, making a furtive glance at Malgbyam as she said the last part.

Spoiler: Deception

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(1d20-2)[10]

[WaffleLord]

Reaching Woods

Jasper kneels on the tied hobgoblin's chest, forcing him to lie on the ground. Popping the flask with one hand, he blocks the nasal passages of Malgbyam and pours small doses into the struggling captives mouth. He sputters and gags but eventually is forced to swallow a portion of the liquid. His thrashing lessens and a glossy dazed look comes into his eyes. Stoppering and storing the remaining potion, Jasper sighs. "All right, then, Mr. Boss-Man. Your higher-ups must think very highly of you to give you such an important mission," he says in silken tones. "Their gratitude must be beyond measure. Please share with us, O Great One, the tales of your quest."

Spoiler: Persuasion

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Persuade with flattery - (1d20+5)[6]

Malgbyam's eyes, though glossy and distant, roll skyward as he lolls his head to the side in drunken disbelief while his mouth stays resolutely shut.

[Ninja_Prawn]

How about something slightly different? "Come now, no need to be shy," I chirp, close up against his ear. "Your pal Broctar has already told us plenty about it. Though I'm sure he was trying to steal credit that is rightfully yours..."

Spoiler: Roll

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Charisma (Deception): (1d20+6)[16]

[Sirithhyando]

While the others try to persuade him to talk, Al takes a more sublte approach. Al focus his mind with Malgbyam.

Spoiler: undefined

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Detect thought !
Al is going to probe deeper into Malgbyam thought. Malgbyam can make a wisdom saving throw. If he succeed, the spell end (though for the Couatl, it counts as a cantrip so he'll just do it again and again ) DC14