Act I - The River Kingdoms

OOC: Sense motive 20+3 = 23

Thormar crosses his arms over his chest, then reaches up with a hand to scratch his beard thoughtfully. "I don't doubt your sinew-strength, Mycroft, but save it for spirit-cursed times: when a reckless plan is the only path to victory."

He turns to look at Gerald: "There are alternatives to magic. Perhaps our plant-minded companion can tip our arrows or fill the air with some form of alchemic assistance."

With that, she slips quietly out the door and heads for the stream, glad for some time to herself. Upon entering the forest, Nal’em immediately relaxes, the comfort and familiar feeling of trees and animals wrapping around her like a blanket.

Too long in the city, I have missed this feeling. It’s like returning home.

Energy renewed, she makes her way to the stream, pausing to take a lay of the land and assess the possible threat that is heading their way in the morning.

Perception Check: 10+7=17

It doesn’t take her long to reach her destination. The water is beautiful with the sun dancing off its surface. Nal’em removes her boots and sticks a foot in. Goosebumps rise on her skin as the cool water creeps up her foot. Smiling to herself, she removes the rest of her clothes, washes them, hangs them up to dry, and slides into the water. For now, everything seems so distant, all that matters is the slow setting of the sun, the birds singing, and the delicious feeling water rolling over her skin.

Three weeks on the go had been much more wearing on Aeldeth than she had initially thought it would be. Though she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience and getting to know her new companions, some of whom she was finding it difficult and intriging to get a handle on.
As the small trading post came into better view Aeldeth couldn't help but sigh and think this doesn't look like a place where I will get much rest or relief for my travel-weary riding muscles before we continue on. She was currently towards the back of the pack enjoying the scenery and a conversation with Na'lem about her travels and the things she had done and seen before ending up in this unlikely group.
As they approached the post, she noticed Mycroft already off his horse holding a ladder for a gentleman, who Aeldeth could only assume was the caretaker of the trading post, and chatting amiably. She left the main group and followed Jenna and Na'lem and saw that her horse was stabled and fed and brushed down before she headed inside to join the group for some sustanence.
As the conversation turned to the task at hand, she spent the initial part trying to get a read on everyone and try to figure out their motives, strengths and weaknesses.

OOC: Sense Motive (on Mycroft) 17+2= 19

Aeldeth noted that Mycroft's words were suspicious he can't be that naieve to think he alone can complete a mission that 9 people were sent to do . She made a mental note that she would have to keep an eye on Mycroft to try understand him, and his daughter better.
After Thormar had finished speaking she cleared her throat and said, "I believe that we should not leave this task to one person, as we have all been sent to help complete this noble quest. We all have different skills, and they will all be necessary for us to all return alive, and with the information that has been requested of us. Mycroft I appreciate what you have to say, but putting you into this position, even with your connection with Jenna, is folly and presents too much risk, to you and to the party's success as a whole"
She then sat back down, and took a sip of her drink.

OOC: We're kind of running on different timescales here, with the somewhat differential posting frequency. I'm going to assume that Aeldeth's most recent remarks are supposed to fit into the point in conversation between where Thormar says he'd rather not give away the element of surprise, and where Mycroft shifts focus away from the prospect of infiltration and more towards what means we have to detain one of the bandits while killing the others. So the following two reactions take place at different times. First, this is how Mycroft reacts to Aeldeth echoing Thormar and Nal'em's safety concerns.

Mycroft raises an eyebrow and smiles as he glances into Aeldeth's eyes, betraying a sense of amusement that is quickly overwhelmed by an appreciation for her concern.

OOC: And this is intended to come around the same time as Thormar's query addressed to Gerald.

Mycroft looks towards Aeldeth once again.
"On the matter of our different skills, I understand your devotion to the Star Goddess Desna allows you to channel her divine favour. I don't suppose any of abilities She grants you would be of use in non-lethally subduing a hostile man in the midst of his cut-throat followers?"

OOC: Also, I brought this up with Chris once before, but shouldn't references people make to details that they have learned through skill-checks on hidden information also be spoiler-tagged, unless they're divulging what they have learned out-loud in character? Otherwise it kind of defeats the purpose of hiding the original details, if everyone who meets a particular check will then just reflect on said details in their inner-monologue in the posts immediately following. I don't imagine it'll make a world of difference, but I for one am trying avoid meta-knowledge of things my characters aren't supposed to know.

"Aye, wise comrades, and you are indeed wise comrades, even assuming that we manage to subdue one band of cutthroats, that would surely make us a marked congregation for the hordes of savages that roam this area. In any case, even if we are to engage this Happs fellow in battle, we should strike at them decisively, but be sure to treat captives kindly, as this might inspire others to take up arms with us upon witnessing our compassion in victory. Not only will this help is in numbers in the long run, but it would also arm us with local knowledge of future battlefields, which are without a doubt an invaluable resource."

OOC:

@Tim. I think it's up to players as to whether they hide information that they have learned from spoiler tags. I merely added this as a first level defense to give exclusive information.

@Na'lem

DC 10 Perception check

Spoiler:

If you do not make the Perception check, then you hear some birds overhead as the fly south towards the trading post, and road.

OOC: Diplomacy: 18+9 = 27

Thormar glances towards Oleg once more: "Since we are well battle-bent for tomorrow morn', now is a fine time to reveal anything else you know about these bandits: numbers, weapons, armor, training. Are they local men, or a foreign blight? Any scrap of knowledge could make their slaughter all the easier - all the safer for you."

Oleg turns to you Thormar, and begins to spill everything he knows: "Uh, well we've seen 8 in total when they came the first time, however the last two months they came in groups of four. They carry standard hunting knives and bows, although some have taken to carrying the half dozen swords they took off me, the bastards. They wear almost exclusively brown and greens, usually toughened hunters outfits. They often show up with a pair of mules. That's about all I remember, is there anything else you need specifically?"

Na'lem

Spoiler:

EDIT: So, in summary, I have heard of three plans that The Eye to the Sword wish to use to outwit Happs. Has there been a decided plan of action for when the morning comes?

OOC: We're leaning heavily on that flanking-ambush idea, whilst trying to capture Happs alive. With regards to his capture, Thormar and Mycroft have been soliciting for input from the others, particularly Gerald, Fabian and Aeldeth, because magic and alchemy are really our bag-of-tricks as a group, beyond mere "shoot and stab them and hope the leader has more hitpoints" tactics.
In addition to any health and attribute buffing-potions, and some good old-fashioned bombs (hell yeah!), Gerald might be able to whip up something like an alchemist-fire trap, a tanglefoot bag, or some kind of debilitating poison. Especially with the bombardment element of the plan, a tanglefoot bag would work wonders.
Aeldeth, if she has time to memorise new spells, she could probably assist in Happ's capture a lot with things like Obscuring Mist, Haze of Dreams, Forbid Action (a good way to get a guaranteed grapple-pin), Command, Ray of Sickening, or Burning Disarm. Or if she just wants to help with the ambush bombardment there's always Abundant Ammunition.
And of course, Fabian (I noticed from his character sheet) knows both the charm and (more importantly) slumber witch-hexes. Plus, let's not forget capture-friendly spells like Daze, Bungle, Command, Delusional Pride, Ear Piercing Scream, Frostbite, Hypnotism, Peacebond (a great one), Rays of Enfeeblement and Sickening, Reduce Person (we can shrink him and drop him in a sack), Unprepared Combatant, and should the slumber hex fail, Sleep. That is, assuming there is time to prepare more spells. Not to mention Interrogation, for if and when we do get him.
These options need to be brought up in-character, otherwise we're going to end up hatching a combat-based scheme that makes no use of some of our cleverest tricks!

Mycroft regards Guntram's words as honourable, but perhaps circumstantially ill-appropriate.
"I agree with you entirely, in principle, good Squire. We must remember, though, that we are not only outnumbered and in enemy territory here, but we have no real audience in place who may appreciate our generosity and even-handedness if we were to demonstrate it. I suspect that, with things as they are, the best message we can hope to send to the region about our clash with Happs and his bandits is a message telling of our strength, written in their blood."

OOC: @Isaac: The four buildings are as follows: The largest building is the main house, where Oleg lives, and performs his trading. It's kept in good shape by Svetlana, however is a little cramped with the 10 of you. The next in size is the stable, which usually doesn't hold much, however it has a large capacity to hold trade animals and guests. The next is the guest house, which holds four beds and then a basic bedside table for each, and then the fourth building is a wooden shed, where Oleg stores his larger trade goods. There is a wooden palisade 8 foot tall in most parts, which runs around the structures. There is a doored gate to the palisade, made of a thick heavy wood.

OOC POST
Oh. Wow. That's completely changes my perception of the place. I wasn't aware that we had a mini fortress on our hands. Thormar's plan is now thusly:

1. Let all the bandits through the gate.
2. Close the gate behind them.
3. Show they are outnumbered two-to-one (if there's only four of them, otherwise see 3a) to get them to surrender.
3a. Turn them into pincushions 'til the living ones surrender.
4. Victory.

OOC: Assuming the gates are strong enough to hold them in (I don't know if they're coming on foot, or by horse, etc.), Mycroft will heartily endorse Thormar's plan. We've been worrying about how we're going to trap them, not realising that the whole trading post IS a trap, if we use it the right way. Still... Whatever kind of put-down we do, it'll have to be quick. There's still collateral damage to the trading post that we need to control for.

OOC: Oh man, what is this? Joel being proactive? Heaven forbid! So I talked to Chris about poisons and I eventually down-graded my ideas of amazing poisons to poison tipped arrows. But I don't know what said poison does yet, I'm gunning for slow-paralysis or sluggishness of some kind, but we'll see what Chris allows.

Gerald has been completely oblivious to his surroundings since the desired object of 'food' appeared before him. He devoted himself fully to the whole-hearted consuming of this admittedly meager meal, but it stopped his stomaching groaning like the souls in the seventh level of hell, which was progress! Gerald jotted a note down in his mental notebook that a potion which instantly granted all the sustenance required from the average meal would be a brilliant discovery. Satisfied for the present, Gerald 'switches' back into the general conversation, which has been going on at an alarming pace, for him.

"Allow me to confirm our strategy so far: Let them in, lock them in, boom boom them in, leave one alive to interrogate." Gerald rather likes this plan, simple and easy to follow! "As for any 'tricks' I could use to aid us... for something abit experimental, there is this poison I'm in the process of testing which might be useful. Or the good old tanglefoot bag might simply be more suited to the job." Gerald is checking items off via his fingers, calculating that he has enough ingredients for either of the options. Assured at the success of either from no missing ingredient, he continues, "Since we are going to do this hair raisingly exciting event tomorrow; I better get started on brewing those up. After that I would much enjoy the prospect of a lovely bed instead of earth. I say, the ground is quite detrimental for one's back." So saying, he twists to his right & left, and a few 'pop's grace the air.

OOC: Okay, so, unless anyone speaks up, the plan for the afternoon is as follows:

1) Gerald will make a strength debilitation potion to make them sluggish, which will coat the arrows of as many ranged characters as possible. (I'm gonna need you to make a Craft (Alchemy) check, at the DC of the fort DC of whichever poison you choose to use. All the information on poisons are here) Usually you would need to pay the cost to assemble this, however Oleg is letting you use whatever ingredients are available, since you are assisting him.

2) No changes are needed to the trading post

3) In the morning, characters will hide, and then once the men are inside, the gate is shut. Then we hope they surrender, and if not, they are at a disadvantage.

Please confirm if there is anything else that needs to occur, else I will narratively resolve this tomorrow morning.

Na'Lem

Spoiler:

DC 14 skill check - 15+7(!) Craft (Alchemy) of Lente Silver.

Information about the flower which poison is made out of, for all ye interested

Spoiler:

Gerald also takes this opportunity to prepare an extract of Enlarge Person and a mutagen for strength, if he has enough time.

OOC: Absolutely, Gerald has more than enough time to perform both, and glad to hear you passed the check! You will have enough for a set of 20 arrows, or you can coat a blade in it. it's up to you.

OOC: Mycroft and Jenna are down with this plan. The only detail that needs to be hammered out, tactically, is this: Who will confront the bandits on the ground, and who will do better attacking from a height with range attacks. Jenna is definitely best suited to slinging attack-magic (what little she knows) from a high and safe place, but Mycroft has essentially no ranged-combat skills, nor any range-combat weapons, and would likely do more good on the ground. Similarly, will Guntram be in a position to employ his mounted combat against these men? For that matter, will THEY be leaving their horses outside, or riding in past the gates on them?

OOC: Guntram is mostly melee, and Alexander is definitely a ranged character.

Fabian has spent the morning in the nearby forest, heading a good hours walk out to the east. On returning to the trading post around high noon he sits and patiently listens to Mycroft and Thormar plan an ambush.

"Gentlemen, your plan sounds well reasoned but there are some details you have overlooked" Using his walking staff Fabian draws a rough map of the buildings, palisade, gate, road and nearby forest in the dirt. "Closing the gate behind our victims, someone will have to do this, someone who doesn't mind being exposed once the trap is sprung." Glancing at the narrow door into the traders home Fabian has this to say. "Our kind host and his family also deserve our consideration. Can I suggest that Guntram take it upon himself to protect them, that house can be held by one strong man with a blade"

Diplomacy: 10 (7 + 3)

DC 22 Sense motive

Spoiler:

OCC: Which way does the gate open? I assume as it is designed for defense it opens inward. Someone will need to hide inside and close it while the bandits are distracted. This also means the bar or other means to hold it closed is on the inside.

Mycroft smiles widely at Fabian's words.
"Most astute my friend, you are quite right. Mighty Guntram is our prime candidate for defending the trade house from harm. As a man of no small strength myself, I volunteer to be our man-at-the-gate. Our only consideration must be what form of tumbling barricade we shall employ. It must be one such that a single stout man can close in a hurry, but which would take a cluster of panicked bandits some time to pry open."

OOC: Gerald will be giving people hugs after he guzzles his hulk inducing potions. Everyone loves hugs!

Guntram, who has been heartily drinking the milk provided by Svetlana and listening to discussions, speaks up after Mycroft's latest speel. "I concur with the plans suggested thus far. The wisdom and cunning of The Eye to the Sword is vastly greater than our numbers suggest, and it is evident from the angles of attack brought forward that we are well equipped, and more mighty than any 'Happs' who may stand in our path. Mycroft, I commend you for volunteering for such a dangerous task, however I would have picked you had you not come forward, for the one who closes the gate, is also in a convenient position for bargainning. Under the cover of arrows, the invaders will be outpositioned, and outwitted. They will surely be turned by your words, or they may rot in the yard within these walls."

After finishing his glass; the third of the afternoon, he turns to Gerald, and says "My fellow, you will create enough of your concoction to tip the projectiles of Alexander, Na'Lem, and Fabian if he wishes it. Also, I recall in my younger years you mentioned to Dagonet regarding fireworks, and explosives. You used them to an excellent degree during the festival to Erastil. It would pay for you, if you have the materials at hand, to prepare some loud surprises for our invaders."

---

The afternoon's activities turns from serious conversation to administration. Who will sleep in which beds, preparing concoctions in Gerald's case, and washing up in Na'lem's case.

Now tell me, brave adventurers of The Eye to the Sword, is there anything special that you would like to do during the evening/night, or will you simply eat the stew that Svetlana provides, and get a good night's rest?