At the Fist

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drpete · #41 Post by **drpete** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 1:57 am

Ethan will counsel Gaerys not to go under the circumstances... There are extremely deadly, cunning enemies about... The ghasts. Antheris can scout more safely tonight.

Magnus · #42 Post by **Magnus** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:04 am

drpete wrote:Ethan will counsel Gaerys not to go under the circumstances... There are extremely deadly, cunning enemies about... The ghasts. Antheris can scout more safely tonight.

How about sending each party member one-at-a-time into an area populated by enemies with multiple paralyzing attacks?

Zhym · #43 Post by **Zhym** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:05 am

drpete wrote:Antheris can scout more safely tonight.

Now, that just hurts. "Stay home, ranger. It's too dangerous out there. Let the druid scout." Gaerys would prefer to go with Antheris as a scouting party team, if possible. And he's usually stealthy enough in the outdoors, if he doesn't stop to perform funerals. Going in groups makes sense, though.

Magnus · #44 Post by **Magnus** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:12 am

Date: Autumn, 432 ca., Campaign Day 9
Time: 13:30
Weather: 45 degrees; cloudy
Location: Fist of the First Men

**************************
Antheris: 48/48
Vorsyin: 48/48
Gaerys: 60/60
Hollis: 50/50
Lorath: 40/40
Ethan: 71/71
Marcus: 35/35
Tybalt: 46/46

*************************
The healers cast their healing magic and the party is fully healed.

Sunset a few hours away, the party debates who and how the party will scout.

[Who is scouting and how?]

Computer +1 · #45 Post by **Computer +1** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:20 am

Vorsyin does not want to delay the party in order to learn a new spell. He advises leaving early in the morning and exploring the Steading during the daylight hours.
He is also against the scouting idea, especially as the night approaches.

Zhym · #46 Post by **Zhym** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:28 am

If the party will leave early in the morning, Gaerys will forgo scouting, assuming Antheris does as well, and remain in the Fist for the night. If Antheris scouts, Gaerys will accompany him.

Eulalios · #47 Post by **Eulalios** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:02 am

Lorath, also, firmly opposes the idea of sending a single party member in the dark to tiptoe through the steading.

Zhym · #48 Post by **Zhym** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:10 am

Although Gaerys isn't going anywhere this evening, no one said anything about going into the steading alone tonight. The idea was to scout the area around the steading for signs of ingress or egress, not to poke into the steading itself. Though I do think Antheris in Giant Lynx form and Gaerys in a borrowed Valyrian cloak would be very stealthy. But we can wait overnight.

Magnus · #49 Post by **Magnus** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 4:28 am

It also occurs to the party that they need to consider their point of entry into the Steading, and the point of entry into the dungeon.

The first seems unlikely to matter much. The second seems a critical decision -- the stream, the "smoke monster door" (revealed to lead to the basement in the last foray), and the door through which the party made its last escape remaining the known, and likely only, choices.

NJWilliam · #50 Post by **NJWilliam** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 4:56 am

Antheris

Antheris considers the various entrances to the Steading.
"Rather than meet them in their fortress, why don't we try to lure them out and into the open?
"It is cloudy, I believe I can summon more lightning. We can set up an ambush as they come out to chase us.
"A snare or trap of some sort as well, our archers and mages set up high, perhaps an Insect Plague to drive them out."

Zhym · #51 Post by **Zhym** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:05 am

"Sure," says Gaerys. "I'll bumble about the steading 'scouting' again. Then I'll get distracted and start a picnic or some other fool thing in the compound. Maybe put Nosra's head on a spike if it's still there. Vorsyin or Ethan can argue with me, and when whatever is down there comes up to attack us, we hit them!"

"But I do suspect we'll have to venture back in eventually. Whatever strange powerful evil is down there won't be coming to us, I'd wager. If we stay on the surface, all we'll do is draw waves of minions. And I must still object to an insect plague until we're certain that only evil lies below."

saalaria · #52 Post by **saalaria** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:15 am

"We have nothing to lose by trying to get any foe out into the open to meet them on our terms but how would we bait them?" Hollis checks over his gear prior to moving out.

Computer +1 · #53 Post by **Computer +1** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 12:44 pm

Vorsyin shakes his head. An ambush would be ideal but our enemy has repeatedly shown itself to be intelligent and cunning. Their two ambushes last time were very effective. We would be wasting our time to assume they will now blunder into the open. To fight the heart of the evil we must delve into the depths.

He begins to pace as he thinks aloud. The underground stream is a tempting option but we came unexpectedly from that direction once before. Logically speaking they would have looked to secure that direction and the stream is a gap in their defense. Swimming and finding a lid on the stream would leave us all dead in the water.....

Two doors then..... Both will be guarded. The undead attack last time was brutally effective. Several scratches could leave us immobilized and vulnerable....

Which way then... He rubs his chin as he paces and ponders.

NJWilliam · #54 Post by **NJWilliam** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:02 pm

Antheris

"Given the depth of this evil, I think the insect plague may be the best to drive them out or kill them.
"The balance of the lives of a captive or few, or even more, is outweighed by the destruction of this evil.
"If we go down the stairs, perhaps we can open the few doors there, set the Insect Plague, and even get the captives out.
"Once the plague is summoned, if we can magically seal the doors, we may not even have to bother with an ambush.
"By the time they realize they cannot open the doors, and run for another entrance, the insects will have dealt serious damage.
"How many hold portals and wizard locks can we muster?"

Zhym · #55 Post by **Zhym** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:17 pm

Gaerys frowns. "I'm sorry, friend, but I cannot allow the lives of innocents under the Steading to be tallied as mere counterbalances to evil. We know of five prisoners still trapped down there, if they yet live. Those lives alone are too many to sacrifice unless we have no other option. But there may be more. Tanner drew mines on his map—are we sure they're worked by volunteers? The evil below would have to be great indeed to justify slaughtering innocents in the name of expedience, especially when we do not know how many innocents remain. How can you weigh a balance when you do not know what lies on either side of the scales?

"I concede that there are dire times when good lives must be sacrificed for evil. But our options are not yet so bleak."

Gaerys scratches his scruffy beard. "Any surviving prisoners might even be assets," he thinks aloud. "If they work ore seams, they must be strong. If freed, they might be grateful enough to fight with us, if we can provide them with suitable weapons. What do you think?"

Computer +1 · #56 Post by **Computer +1** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:25 pm

The Maester confirmed that with each death the greater evil below strengthens. I would not choose to kill innocents below unless the attack would destroy the great evil as well but, an insect swarm seems unlikely to damage the smoke tendrils we have seen.

drpete · #57 Post by **drpete** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:59 pm

"I think our next task is to strike, make our way to the heart of this evil, and disrupt it. Our holy men are our weapon here. Our job is to get them into place to drive off the evil without being overcome. Most likely, the best route there will be through the door we lost Luna and Giantbane through. Let's go there, hit hard. A Web will hold the undead, but I don't think they'll be bothered by bugs."

Computer +1 · #58 Post by **Computer +1** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:23 pm

We should ask the Maester if he knows of a drought that will help revive someone paralyzed by the undead attack.

Todd Spengo · #59 Post by **Todd Spengo** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 4:35 pm

Tybalt agrees with Gaerys and the Maester. "I cannot allow any innocents to die by our hand, if it can be prevented. We must consider other ways.

"I have not the experience with this foe that you have, so I will follow your opinions, but this enemy seems exceedingly cunning. It will not fall for so artless a trick as we propose. I fear it will be content to lay in its lair, secure in knowing that nothing has been won should it not be driven out by force."

Magnus · #60 Post by **Magnus** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:03 pm

Date: Autumn, 432 ca., Campaign Day 9
Time: 17:30
Weather: 45 degrees; cloudy
Location: Fist of the First Men
***********************

The party discusses strategy. Though the party does not come to a solid plan -- yet, anyone overhearing the discussions would be pleased to see the party at least planning to pull in the same direction.

Vorsyin has an interesting thought regarding procuring an antidote to the ghast paralysis.

The sun hangs low in the sky. The party has but a few hours until the day of their next foray into the Steading...

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