(... Continued from above)
Cells - As
Bellandra and her 'guards' escorted the 'prisoners' towards the cells, she tried to survey the situation and plan a strategy. Earlier,
she had only pretended to lock the gate and drawbridge portcullis behind their party, foreseeing that they might need to make a quick escape.
As
Cap'n Rummyfangs was being escorted towards the cells
he collapsed to the ground, feigning exhaustion and being careful to maintain his role while searching for the possible source of the many legged creature he'd heard. (roll dice)
Bellandra paused to look at him, then reached down and
hauled him to his feet, pulling him close as if threatening him. "Foul miscreant! Can't you even put one foot in front of the other properly!" She hissed, "So help me I'll..." ... and in a whisper continued "...listen to what ye would say."
Rummyfangs didn't waste the opportunity, he whispered as quietly as he could. "Blimey... I spied the ugliest
Flesh Golem I 'ad e'er laid me eyes in that there
room where the others (went) jus' boarded,"
Cap'n Rummyfangs informed Bellandra, keeping his voice hushed. "But beware me hearties, thar may be a greater danger but a breath away whence we stand. I 'earrr the
footsteps o' a many legged creature in our midst..."
(roll dice = Bellandra and Mighty hear the warning; Pugwash and Durik barely hear it; Foggy, Grog'tial, Queen Origi and Urgho did not hear him.) Once the guard had left them at the cells,
Bellandra discreetly passed
Foggy his cutlass. She saw no gnome among the prisoners as she inspected the cells, trying to gauge if any of the humans were possible thralls. "Hail, wretches! I see you have sampled the keep's lodgings. How do you like the lord commander's hospitality?" (roll dice) No one answered her, or even looked up. She kept Polly's words in mind as she tried to judge the cell occupants, while running different strategies in her mind. She guessed that the other rooms might be converted cell blocks, so her cell block key might work on them too.
Foggy slipped his bonds and took his cutlass that
Bellandra discretely passed him. He then tried his own strategy and took some of his personal belongings to exchange with some of the closer prisoners for information. (roll dice) The few prisoners that would even glance at him looked as if he were insane!
Foggy asked where the prisoners could get weapons. (roll dice) They cringed back in the cells as far from him and the 'Guards' as possible, refusing to speak and darting glances out the open door as if waiting for a monster to appear at any moment.
Foggy heard spaced caws around, as
Crow landed in an apple tree where he will stay vigilant and
warn Foggy if need be.
Mighty noticed
Rummyfangs faint and was going to reach down to pick him up, but
Bellandra got there first. He was close enough to
hear the message however. He also heard
Argy and decided to
wait to send Cracker in case one or more of the half-orc guards could be put down without a fight. Reaching the cells, he
silently passed Pugwash his crossbow when asked.
Until now,
Pugwash had played the meek prisoner, but he had been just close enough to have heard
Cap'n Rummyfangs' warning. Now that they had been left alone
Pugwash also freed himself from his bonds and
got his crossbow from Mighty. Then he took up a position just inside the cell block door, hidden from view of the courtyard. There he monitored for threats to quietly warn the others about. (roll dice)
Pugwash used his glass eye to sweep over the battlements he could see. The
hellhound and fighter were walking along the
seaward side, about mid-way towards the stairs. (roll dice)
Pugwash saw the
door to the Chapel open and
Commander Beckett come out with what must be the
necromancer, who was looking around. (roll dice)
Pugwash whispers to the others about seeing the
Commander and the necromancer looking around, but
he does not know about the guard coming. (roll dice = Pugwash cannot see the guard coming down the walkway by the other cell blocks without revealing himself.)
(roll dice) Seeing
Pugwash given a weapon by a 'guard' and taking up a position of defense,
one of the prisoners towards the back finally
spoke in a hushed tone. "They'll be coming for us soon. Shift change, mid-day.
He and
the Others will come to take us. You don't want to be here."
(roll dice - Felinoid hearing)
Cap'n Barfdeck Rummyfangs swiveled his ears as he caught the faint echo of a siren song and realized
Grog'tial must have
blown his shell. He also heard a door close and
heavy footsteps coming towards them down the walkway from the corner where he'd seen the Flesh Golem.
(roll dice) Just then
Crow called a warning to Foggy.
Aboard Ship - After hearing Polly's warning and looking to see how
Captain Baldbeard and Gilius were progressing,
Kyp noticed that he was in fact in a grave situation ... at the top of the crows nest, which was very high up. (roll dice) He had been fine while concentrating far out to the Fort and the well, but now the fear started and he sat down in the crows nest so he would not have to look at the ground. He wondered what was taking so long as
Captain Baldbeard arrived and they
waited for the signal and Gilius.
Polly also wondered what was taking so long as she eyed
Kyp and hoped he could hold it together in the Crow's Nest. Each 'turn' it took could erode his confidence to where the promised reinforcements might not arrive.
(Kyp has finally noticed where he is. GM rolls dice each turn Kyp is in the Crow's Nest for panic, and each turn the resistance roll has to be greater to succeed.) This was not to be a stealth raid. Polly knew the longer the Crew waited to send the signal, the greater the chance of discovery, which would lose them the element of surprise ... and the greater the chance the Ship could be fired upon before it could be first to take out the Fort's guns and shock the Fort into possible panic and disarray, which could leave the Crew facing a more disciplined and rallied enemy.
(GM rolls dice with greater chance of suspicion/Fort reaction/reinforcements added each turn.) Fortress Plans -----
Your usual weapons and inventory are assumed with you.
Argy = Fortress Courtyard; 'Chef', 1 Sleep Potion (4 small baked goods), 1 Spiderclimb Oil
Aylar = Fortress Courtyard;1'Officer', Gillyweed, 1 Weapon Oil - Acid
Bellandra = Cell Block nearest Storage Rooms; 'Guard Captain', Harbor Watch Leather Armor, Hand Crossbow w/6 bolts, 1 Fire Resistance Potion; keys to cell block, gate and drawbridge
Cap'n Rummyfangs = Cell Block nearest Storage Rooms; 'Prisoner', 1 Fire Resistance, 1 Heal Potion
Bhrigu = Fortress Courtyard; 'Scribe', 1 Spiderclimb Oil, 1 Heal Wounds Bandage
Captain Baldbeard = Ship, Crow's Nest; 1 Sleep Potion, 1 Weapon Oil - Fire
Count Karnstein = Fortress Courtyard; 'Captain', 1 Heal Wounds Bandage, 1 Heal Potion
Durik = British Room ground floor; 'Guard', Harbor Watch Leather armor, 1 Weapon Oil - Acid; *Aylar's Axe
Foggy = Cell Block nearest Storage Rooms; 1 Gillyweed, 1 Potion of Force Resistance
Gilius = Ship, ascending the rigging?; 1 Scroll of Revivify, Wand of Secrets
Grog'tial = British Room upstairs office; 'Courtier', Dirk, Remote Viewing Potion
Kyp = Ship, Crow's Nest waiting for Gilius and the signal to go; pouch of Blinding Powder, Bag of Smoke Marbles
Mighty = Cell Block nearest Storage Rooms, ready to send Cracker; 'Guard', Harbor Watch Leather armor, 1 Heal Potion
Pugwash = Cell Block Door nearest Storage Rooms, on watch; 'Prisoner', Quiver of 3 Stun Bomb bolts, 1 Heal Wounds Bandage
Queen Origi = British Room stairs; 'Herself', 1 Mage Hand Scroll, Scroll of Fire Protection
-----
Attached image: positions inside the Fort. You may have to magnify it. (B & N are on ground in front of Chapel door)
BLACK: a = argy; K = Karnstein; A = Aylar; b = bhrigu
BLUE: X = Kyp's teleport target
YELLOW: B = Beckett; N = Necromancer; FG = Flesh Golem; hh+ = hellhound + fighter (above on battlement)
ORANGE: H = Half Orc Guards
RED: G = Grog'tial; O = Origi; D = Durik; P M = Pugwash, Mighty; R F = Rummyfangs, Foggy; B = Bellandra
GREEN: round = bushes; arrows = apple trees
Edit to add Fort layout and key to positions