The Keenest Edge

[Lycar]

Jason nods at Simon, an earnest expression on his face.

"I know well what you mean. It is the perfect ambush site. You won't happen to know a way up the steep sides that doesn't involve climbing ?"

After taking direction from the caravan leader, Jason meets up with his fellow warriors. He keeps his voice low. Sounds carry surprisingly far in the dark.

"It would seem our sparring has to wait until after the ogres have been taken care of. Simon says, the bottleneck is about an hour's worth of travel up the path."

"So, we need to set watches. 3 of two each plus i'll go for whatever watch you want me for. Keep in mind that my human eyes don't see much in the dark though. Since dwarves can see in the dark, i would advise each one of you takes one of the shifts together with one of the others. Suggestions ?"

Jason wasn't sure what the others thought about him. If they did mind him posing as a sort of leader. Well, that simon and the other merchants accepted him as the de facto leader of their little squad was probably more owned to the fact of him being the only human in the group then anything else.

Or maybe he was just the most sociable of them all.

Lycar

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

"Watch lists, good! I'll take the post-midnight watch, if no one objects." Daesha doesn't mind Jason's orders, after all, he'd been trained to it, so there couldn't be a better candidate.

Once the watch order is established, she removes a few pieces of jerky and a piece of travel biscuit from a pouch at her waist, and proceeds to eat her evening meal.

Without much further conversation, she finds a clear spot between two of the wagon, and removes the dark leather plates of her armor. She sits down, facing outward from the wagon ring, so that she may orient herself on waking, and not accidentally walk over a cliff. She removes her obsidian round from a pocket and holds it cupped in her hands as she meditates.
She whisper-chants Om hossu essheth ehreth very quietly to herself, and trances.

[demihappycow]

Wotan
"I too will take the midnight watch. Interrupted sleep does not bother me overmuch."

[The_Shaman]

Amras

I don't have much of a talent for stealth, I'm afraid. Amras replies simply, before conjuring a smile Yet a sad sight we'd be if we get surprised by ogres, of all things.

As they set up camp, he leaves his heavy backpack on a nearby cart and stretches his back for a few moments. Then, he sits down with the others, opening up his pack to produce some dried bread and fruits. He takes a bite out of one of them and lets it pass with a gulp from his waterskin as Jason approaches up again. Before answering, he looks up for a moment, trying to determine if there's going to be enough light for him to see anything tonight. When his mouth is empty, he replies I can take first watch, I suppose. Still, I won't be able to see much if it gets really dark.

[BooNL]

Ranik

Ranik quietly listens to the plan and nods. "I'll take the midnight watch with Wotan. The moonlight should give me enough illumination to see by."

He gets up and dusts himself off. "Now, if that would be all. I will scout ahead of the camp a bit. See if I can spot any trouble before it hits us. I will be back in time for my watch."

He pulls his cap over his head and seems to vanish in the darkness.

Spoiler

Show

Scouting ahead of the camp, tell me if I need to make more rolls.

Move Silently - (1d20+8)[23]

Hide - (1d20+12)[27]

Listen - (1d20+4)[12]

Listen - (1d20+2)[19]

[Lycar]

Jason looks after Ranik as he walks away and smirks at Amras.

"Seem like we found our scout then."

Turning earnest again he continues "Personally i would like to share the first watch. Who is with me then ?"

Lycar

[Abardam]

Garpak

The dwarf chuckles grimly.
"Don't think I'll be able sleep at all tonight."
Not with the ogres so near, and certainly not with these... these scholars, guarding my life.
"I'll take 'em all."
He crams his food into his mouth.

[The_Shaman]

Amras

Amras looks sideways at Garpak, curious. Then, he continues with his meal. Once done, he walks around the camp for a while, trying to determine where would be the best places for the sentries to be.

((He will rest a few minutes before that, though, so if anyone wants a chat he'll be around. Anyway, Lordsmoothe, any more information on the terrain ? Is the small terrace more or less straight, or is there still some incline? Also, what does the cliff above look like?))

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

Kiehn focuses a puzzled -- and concerned -- look at Garpak. "There's plenty of us to cover watches. No need to wear yourself out doin' everything, Garpak. I'll take last watch, then, if you want to start things."

[Townopolis]

The terrace is actually quite flat. The cliffside dropping down the mountain rises a few jagged teeth above the plateau at the edge, and then drops down quite steeply, it would be very difficult to climb. The other cliff, the mountain wall rising up from the terrace, is also probably unscalable until about 50 feet up, where the incline lessens. There is no cliff overlooking the campsite, only steep mountainside leading up to a lesser peak. The terrace narrows down slowly at the end, leading to a short path like the one used to enter the campsite, but this path ends abruptly not far away, leaving only the one possible entrance.

Ranik

Spoiler

Show

Only one path leads to the campsite, but after leaving that strip of cliff, the way up the mountain is wide, the original cart road is bordered by large swaths of trees on either side. The soil is soft and molds to your footsteps as you explore.

Your passage goes unnoticed by the wildlife of the mountain, what little there is, but if there is anyone else around, you cannot tell. Nothing betrays the presence of anyone who isn't you or small and either furry or feathered. However, as you climb further up the mountain, the wildlife thins markedly, and the darkness becomes quiet. Several minutes up the mountain, you come across a wagon, smashed and looted and left lying in the road. Next to the wagon, someone has dug four graves recently, within a week, and marked them all with wooden posts as markers. Placed a few feet downhill from the site, is the front axle of a cart, trimmed to make a simple T shaped signpost with the words "Ogres" and a skull painted on the crossbar in whitewash.

Further uphill, the mountain only becomes quieter as you get nearer the ogres. Other than the already known threat, the mountain is peaceful.

Night passes, cold and dark, but a waxing moon and a starry sky give the campsite a dim illumination even without the aid of a fire. Far up on the mountain, a dim yellow glow can be seen flickering, a tiny patch of slightly brighter sky, all night long. The three watches pass uneventfully, leaving hearts at ease and driving minds to near utter boredom until morning comes and the sun's rays manage to finally reach over the mountain and force sleepers to rise with unrelenting light. Bedrolls are peeled away, and one of the drivers curses as he hits his head on the bottom of his cart, as has happened every morning for the caravan's duration, and morning activities are soon underway. Simon's driver has awoken sometime in Daesha and Kiehn's watch to poke around his cart and, by the time everyone is up and has the sleep out of his eyes, he has some good bread, salted pork, a few fruits and a simple salad prepared. The driver sets the food out somewhere where it is closer to all the warriors than the merchants, and then fetches a small bottle of wine and an ewer of ale to go with them before beginning his routine of checking the cart's contents and making sure all is ready for the day's journey, uphill or down as it may be.

It seems that everyone, even Garpak and Ranik, has managed to get a good night's sleep.

[Lycar]

Upon waking, Jason gets up and looks around. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he stretches a bit to get the sleep out of his body.

Next oder of buisines, checking on the others, starting with the last watch.

"Good morning everybody. So the night was peaceful and we got an idea where our targets are to be found." He nods on the direction the shine of the fire was to be seen during the night.

"Right, let's eat some breakfast, then we get our gear checked before marching out."

Jason nods at the others and then goes to strip out of his clothes to the waist and takes his boots off too. Then he fetches a bit of soap form his backpack and uses some water and a bowl to clean himself, as far as circumstances allow. He offers the soap to anybody who would have it.

Then he redons his clothes and armour and joins the other at breakfast.

Turning to Ranik he asks "So, did your scouting turn up anything ?"

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

Amras's shift passes uneventfully, and while he doesn't go out of his way to be silent if any of the others ask him something, he talks little himself as the other sentries pass their night. Eventually, when the three of them are done, he takes off his armor and weapons, stretches his arms to shake the numbness away and retires for some quiet meditation near one of the wagons.

In the morning, he seems to be in a fairly good mood, although he shivers a bit in the cold dawn air. He washes his face with some of the water from his skin, and accepts with some curiosity the soap Jason offers, washing himself again to make use of it. Then, shivering again from the cold water and the crispy air, he does a few physical exercises to get his blood flowing and drive the chill from his limbs. Before putting on his armor, he meets the others for breakfast. There, he nods at at Garpak with a smile. Did you manage to get some shut-eye last night after all?

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

Daesha wakes frpm trance in time to join the midnight watchmen, and sits atop one of the wagons, chanting her mantra and looking around through the darkness. When her watch actually begins, she dons her armor again, and stands sentry, moving and speaking little, straining her eyes and glancing at small, furry noisemakers as they scuttle through the darkness.

She gets some of the fruit and makes herself a small pork salad, and then wolfs her breakfast in about five minutes, eating in delicate yet rapid bites.

Taking her waterskin, she wipes the grit off her face and hands, but otherwise cleans herself little.
She hears Jason's question to Ranek, and saunters over, wanting to hear the answer. Standing there, she binds her hair back into a ponytail with a bright saffron strap.

[Abardam]

Garpak

Garpak blinks. "No," he says finally, in response to Amras. "Lyin' down on armor always makes me neck hurt."

He gets up and stretches, cracking every joint in his body, before putting his scale mail back on.

[demihappycow]

Wotan

Getting slowly up and limbering each joint in careful sequence, Wotan seems calm but mildly confused. "I think I did not expect to sleep well. We will all be going immediately then?" he says, casting a suspicious glance at the food and shaking his head a little.

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

Kiehn performs his morning workout regime as soon as people begin stirring. He saunters over to join the others for breakfast, wide-brimmed hat affixed firmly atop his head.

"'Mornin', all! Sleep well?" he inquires cheerily.

[BooNL]

Ranik

Ranik was sitting in a meditative position on top of his usual cart when he heard Jason's question. He beckons the others to gather and then relays his information.

"This path will expand into a forest, so we should expect an ambush later this day. The first part of the path looks clear of any ogres, but I encountered a raided wagon further up the road, as well as a warning sign.

When we proceed I suggest we have two skirmishers traveling either close to the trees or in the forest itself, the caravan will stop at planned intervals so we can assess the situation.

Since I expect no activity in the first part of the forest, we could keep all of the carts in the back, save one. We could set up an ambush for our would-be ambushers, letting them attack an empty cart guarded by our dwarven friends and Jason. The more nimble members of our group will ambush the ogres in the back. Like a hammer hitting an anvil, the ogres will be stuck."

While Ranik relays his suggestion like an open idea, his non-verbal communication clearly shows he expects everyone to comply with the plan.

[Lycar]

Jason listens to Ranik's plan intently. When Ranik is finished, he speaks up.

"So you propose we use one of the carts as bait then ? We will have to ask Simon about it, he is the caravan master. But i dare assume he will be quite reluctant to do so. Personally i was going to suggest we do a simple search and destroy patrol. We know the approximate location of the ogres camp, so we know what side of the way they are on."

He crosses his arms behind his back and thinks for a moment.

"It would really depend on if you think you could pull off being our advance scout Ranik. If you are confident to be able to spot the ogres before they spot us, then we can ambush them easily. Or the infantry prepares an ambush, and the skirmishers pull the ogres into the trap. Better yet, if we can catch them unaware, we can attack them before they get a chance to rally. If we use the cart, chances are that an ogre sentry will give them warning of our approach and we end up facing a ready and alert formation."

Jason kept his voice neutral and matter-of-factly during his analysis. He might not fully agree with Ranik's proposal, but he wasn't the leader of the group. Neither was Ranik of course.

Instead he looked between the others, especially Daesha and Amras.

"Suggestions? What do you think Daesha, Amras ? You pretty much are our flankers and skirmishers. Do you think you could lure the ogres into an ambush or would you rather flank them once we are engaged in a static battle ?"

"Garpak, Wotan, Kiehn? You are the masters of static defense. Would you prefer to lie in ambush or would you rather they come rushing on to us, so they can break on our swords, shields, axes and tridents like an egg is broken by a rock ?"

Jason turns to Ranik last "I do assume you consider yourself more of a flanker then a blocker ?"

Lycar

[BooNL]

Ranik

Ranik eyes Jason with suspicion, in his time at the academy not a lot of pupils went against Ranik's advice, so this comes quite as a shock to him.

"I'm fairly certain I can sneak up on those beasts, I've done it before and I can do it again. My eyes are quite poor though, so I might not be the most reliable scout."

Look over at the line of carts, Ranik begins to ponder out loud. "I did not mean to sacrifice a cart. If the ogres take the bait, we will be up on them before they manage to smash the thing. Even if it does happen, I'm sure Simon would prefer losing one cart to losing his entire caravan, but I digress."

He looks over the faces of his companions. "Any other suggestions?"

Spoiler

Show

What that means is that I have the following skill mods:

Hide: +12
Move Silently: +8
Listen: +4
Spot: +2

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

Kiehn doesn't seem to pay attention to the conversations over-much, continuing to play with his trident as a baton. However, once Jason and Ranik both ask for suggestions he stops. "I really like the idea of drawing them into an ambush. It works best for us to control the situation, reduces variables."

He looks at the other two dwarves. "With Garpak and Wotan as anchors, the rest of us can move in from flanking positions fairly easily. With a slight burst from the Desert Wind, I can move as quickly as any of you taller folks," the dwarf winks.

"Besides, how well can a single ogre hide and move quietly, let alone a group of them?" he asks.

"As far as my own skills go, I'm afraid stealth is not a stron suit, though I'm not exactly a warhorse in a glassblowers, if ya know what I mean. Mostly my focus is in acrobatics. Jumping. Balance. Tumbling," Kiehn states.

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

"With all due respect, Jason, I think Ranik has a good plan. It plays to our strengths, and I think we may have a higher success rate that way. I'm more than willing to be a scout, though I'm afraid I'm probably not quite as stealthy as Ranik. One of the anvil should drive the wagon, I was thinking you ought to, Jason, and Wotan and Garpak could act as your escort."

She pulls her obsidian round out of her pocket and begins running her thumb over it, looking slightly worried. "Hopefully, we can get all of them this way, none would be out getting food or some such if we happened to hit their lair. We can't help these people if we leave angry ogres behind us, and there are too many things that could go wrong if we just run through the woods looking for them."

Turning to Amras, she asks, "Would you be better with the hammer or the anvil? I'm not sure how good of a silent scout you are, after all."

[Lycar]

Jason frowns slightly.

"I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of using a wagon as bait. What if the horses panic when the ogres approach. Also, i don't mind driving the cart but i'd better disguise myself. The Ogres might be a wee bit suspicious about an armed and armoured man driving the cart."

He ponders for a moment.

"But if the others hide on the cart, we would still be able to surprise the ogres. And if our skirmishers move in fast enough to flank.... i was just hoping, by doing a search sweep, we might be able to pick off single ogres before we meet the main force. But yes, the idea witht the cart could work. I'll ask Simon about it."

With a brief nod to his fellow warriors, he turns and approaches the caravan leader.

"Simon ? May i have a word with you for a moment? We have been discussing strategy and it might be a good tactic to use one of the wagons as bait. We will hide on it, with our skirmishers moving along on the flank, unseen. When the ogres make their move, we shall hold off their initial attack and, together with our flankers, encircle and crush them. However, i don't know how you feel about volunteering one of the carts. And honestly, i am a bit worried about how the horses will react if they encounter the ogres. Won't do for us to have them gallopping off in panic... any suggestions ?"

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

The elf has been mostly silent as other discussed the plan, but he seems to be having some misgivings about it. Daesha's question brings him back to the matter at hand, and after a moment of thought, he replies. I'm somewhat nimble, but I haven't trained much for stealth. All in all, I might be of more use at the defense, unless you really lack in numbers.

There's something else that bothers me somewhat, however. If we are setting ourselves up for an ambush, this means we should be prepared to face all the ogres at once, and when they're prepared. I'm sure we are up to the task, but if we could catch them off-guard or separated - and I doubt they spend all their time together - we might fare still better. Did you actually see their camp and numbers, Ranik?

[BooNL]

Ranik

"No, I did not get a count on their numbers. Honestly, I haven't encountered a single ogre last night." He regards Amras for a second before continuing. "Yes, we would be facing most, if not all of the ogres at once. But we would at least know where our attackers are coming from. If we do a sweep through the forest who knows from what sides we might be attacked, we would have no advance strategy or fall back routine.

What we could do, and I'm just thinking out loud now, is lure the ogres into a trap. What if one of us wandered the road with a big backpack, disguised as a traveling salesman. Upon the ogres attack, he or she would fall back into a defensive formation set up by the rest of the party."

[demihappycow]

Wotan

"I am willing to act as bait. Risking a wagon would seem, I mean no offense by this but... somewhat cowardly of us. Our being hired for this was to take the burden of risk away from the wagons."

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

The dwarf continues to listen to the others' comments. "I don't know about traipsing through the woods. Takes away a terrain advantage, you ask me," he offers after Ranik's suggestion.

[Townopolis]

Simon scowls at the suggestion that one of the carts be used as bait. Folding his arms and furrowing his brow he casts a look over the assembled warriors, then glances back at the other merchants, who return a questioning look. Simon's gaze falls to the ground as he exhales with a small "huh" sound, then speaks.

"Truth, I don't much relish sending out my cart as sacrifice, and none of the other merchants will agree to it. As leader, that kind of thing is my responsibility, see." He pauses a moment, and then continues after looking to the other warriors, still gathered around the breakfast laid out for them. "And you're right, those horses aren't bred for anything but simple travel. I've seen them stand up ok against bandits, but just ok, and they weren't about to eat the horses. Sounds to me like that'd just get in the way, and cause chaos, which," Simon punctuates his speech here with a nod to Jason, "I don't 'spect fits in with any well laid legionnaire's plan."

[Lycar]

Jason listens to Simon, and nods slightly. As he was talking with him at the time, he didn't catch the conversation between Amras and Ranik.

(Just what i expected. After all, we were hired to protect these people and the caravan. But *sigh* if i would have told them so, they would just have resented the notion... oh well, now that that is official, maybe i can get the others to agree on a more sensible plan...)

After Simon finishes, Jason rejoins his fellow warriors.

"Well, so much for this plan. The merchants don't want to to risk the assets which they hired us to protect. I must admit, i can understand that. So, when we can't use a cart as bait and simply marching down the road would make us stumble right into an ogre ambush, then i would suggest we reexamine the plan of doing a search and destroy..."

"Now Ranik, you are an accomplished scout, you could be our ears and eyes. We others lack your expertise at remaining unseen and unheard. Therefore it would be the most efficient use of our available forces, if our heavies form a close group travelling behind you and our skirmishers moving along at the flanks. If you come upon some ogres, you give us warning and, depending on whether they noticed us too, we then decide to charge or lay an ambush on the spot."

Jason looks around the others again.

"What do you think ?"

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

Amras has been listening to Ranik, but remains somewhat unconvinced even after the others have had their say. Well, if we know we can't surprise them anyway, might as well fool them. Still, you know as well as I, probably, that we will be at an advantage if we act together and they do not. If we can attain it, I'd say, so much the better. Especially as we don't know how many ogres there are. I don't have anything against a good fight, but I'd prefer to survive it, as well.

He is still talking when Jason comes back. As the human speaks, he shuts up with a visible annoyance, but then just shrugs and waits to hear what Jason will say. Makes sense. I presume there will be some distance between us? It's easier to spot - and hear - a group moving together.

[Abardam]

Garpak

Tactics. Ha. Somehow, some way, the entirely simple and straightforward notion of going into the forest and bashing some ogre skulls in had turned into... into this.
He swung his axe around instead, decapitating imaginary ogres.