Safana, Varic, Arithel and Meich find themselves having a quiet lunch, discussing the plans for the upcoming conflict. Safana lays out a rough idea of where the most important buildings in Islas are. They decide that the most important thing is to discover a portal back to Islas. Meich gets sent to discover the portal using her contacts. They send her off to hire 400 men, including some specialist soldiers.
You find yourselves squirrelled away in an inn having a nice lunch.
Safana: “Thus leaving us with the small matter of how to carry this out…”
Arithel eats his food quietly.
Varic Thorn: “so when are we planning to invade? Or do we not have a time table yet?”
Safana: “I feel the time table is best left til’ the last possible moment.”
Meich: “Much easier to keep it a secret, yes?”
Varic Thorn: “I doubt we are interesting enough to warrant az spy placed in our plucky band.”
Safana: “No, I doubt we are.. but mercenaries tend to chatter when they’re not actively engaged otherwise.”
Safana: “It wouldn’t require active spying if you could just overhear it in any public tavern.”
Varic Thorn: “I didnt think of that…”
Arithel: “What do we know about these known as Heaven and Hell?”
Safana shrugs. “Beyond being a fiend and a celestial of some sort? Not a great deal on my part.”
Arithel: “Aside from their reputation as crime lords and that they are somehow planetouched I know nothing.”
Arithel: “There are quite a few ways to go about this. We can assault them directly or covertly, in a small group, or with an army of mercenaries.”
Safana: “I tend to favor the latter, although we would be best served making the main stroke ourselves.”
Arithel: “If that is the case, then we should find out approx how many we would need to hire to wrest control of the Islas ports.”
Meich: “Unfortunately, I cannot be of much use – I have never been to this place you speak of.”
Nick (Arithel): Alex do we have any indication of how many men would be opposing an occupation?
Varic Thorn: “Bah, what do we need more swords for? We have love on our side!”
Safana: “Admirable, but I have only rarely known love to turn aside steel.”
Varic Thorn: “True perhaps, but right is on our side. Thar can account for much.”
Arithel looks at Varic and nods.
Safana: “And with luck the populace will agree.. but I doubt they will be roused to action without seeing some hope of victory – and even if we had such a hope on our own, they would not see it.”
Alex: Arithel – you’ve not spent enough time in Islas to make a fair judgement. It is a fairly large city, though.
Varic Thorn: “Arith, are you competent at weaving illusions? Or is that not your line of training?”
Safana digs around in her pouches and produces a sheet of parchment and an inkpen before starting to sketch, from memory as best she can, a rough map of Islas.
Arithel: “Next question, is our goal to occupy all of Islas? Or are we only bent on clearing out these criminals that put the bounty on our heads?”
Safana: “We can’t possibly occupy the entire city, it would require too many men.. what we need to do is take control. If we manage to dispose of the existing leadership, such as it is, most of the people ought to accept it.”
Arithel: “Not really my specialty Varic.”
Varic Thorn: “Im not sure i have a price on my head. I mean, I started my involvement in this affair only a few days ago. But worry not. You have my sword non the less.”
Varic Thorn: “I mean you ARE the first group ive come across in a long while that hasnt tried to mug, rob, maim or kill me.”
Arithel: “Will Bartholomew step forward then as ruler of Islas?”
Safana: “That would be my general plan, if there were no objections.”
Safana: “Of course, if there were objections I would withdraw my support from the plan…”
Safana smiles slightly.
Arithel: “Presuming we are successful of course, and presuming Bartholomew would accept that responsibility. We know he would have the support of the people.”
Safana: “And he could not do a worse job than the present leadership.”
Safana circles five buildings on the sketch, “There are, best as I can recall, five locations in Islas that will need to be taken.”
Arithel: “Go on.”
Safana: “Three are fortified, the other two are not.”
Varic Thorn: “Perhaps we would be best served with current information, not saying that yours isnt. But things can change quickly”
Varic Thorn: “I can not be seen if i so will it.”
Varic Thorn: “And im also a stranger in these parts, not likely to draw undo attention.”
Varic Thorn: “Or we can hire a professional”
Safana: “The difficulty is that we have no portal.. so finding such ought to be a priority.”
Arithel: “A portal from here back to Islas? Yes deffinately a priority.”
Safana: “Or at least back to Water, preferably somewhere we can get a ship if not directly to Islas.”
Arithel: “Meiche, do you know of a portal master here in this city?”
Meich: “A master of portals… not quite, no – I’ve been here for a long time, ever since getting out of Carceri.”
Meich: “I know how to get back to one of the Prime worlds, but not anywhere else.”
Safana: “It would be of great help if you could help us find such.”
Safana: “Gods know I haven’t the faintest idea where to begin looking here.”
Meich: “I can do that – I’m not much good at planning invasions.”
Safana: “Where I come from, we have rather well-rounded educations. I can’t say I ever expected to use some parts of it, though.”
Arithel: “So I suppose until we find out about a portal and were exactly it will dump us off in or near Islas, there is no further planning that can be done.”
Arithel: where*
Safana: “As you say.”
Arithel: “Till then we can rest and keep safe here, unless anyone has business or shopping they would like to do.”
Meich nods and stands up. “I’ll see about getting you back to Islas.”
Arithel nods to Meich, “Thank you.”
Safana sighs, “Its this down time I don’t deal well with.. I don’t even feel safe playing music.”
Safana: “Wouldn’t do to be recognized..”
Meich departs the bar.
Does anyone have plans?
Safana: drink myself into a stupor.
Safana: it shouldn’t take too much.
Arithel: If there is some kind of mage shop or guild that sells scrolls Id like to visit it and buy some.
Varic Thorn will practive his swordsmanship and do some reading.
Alex: Do you look for any scroll in particular?
Nick (Arithel): ya Ill get you a list :P
Alex: lol
Nick (Arithel): not now hehe we can continue, just let me know if what I request is available after the game.
Alex: Okay.
Alex: Meich returns to the bar after some time.
Arithel looks to Meich, “Is fortune in our favor?”
Meich: “I have some good news – I can get you to the Plane of Water. We have to go through a Prime world, but we can get there, to a small port.”
Arithel: “Good to know. How long will the journey take?”
Arithel: “Presuming we are uninterrupted of course.”
Meich: “It’s a day trip, total, before we’re at Water.”
Safana staggers downstairs somewhat disheveled and stumbles over to the party’s table.
Arithel: “Looks like we have found a path, Safana. Its a bit indirect but will lead us back to water.”
Safana looks at Arithel, “Where on water?”
Arithel looks at Meich, are we talking Islas or in the middle of the sea?“
”color:#005500;">Kiergath (Safana): “to a small port”
Nick (Arithel): lol ty
Arithel: “Well now that thats settled… we need to hire some troops.”
Safana: “We also need a more up to date idea of Islas.”
Arithel: “A spy?”
Safana: “As Varic so aptly pointed out, my information may be out of date.”
Arithel: “Perhaps we should all travel there first after hiring our troops and have them follow us some time later so that we can assess a plan once we arrive.”
Varic Thorn: “Im sure most of your information is sound, but you can never have enough information.”
Safana: “Arithel, that leaves us no option to call off the attack, and it also holds us to a time table, with none of us here to even attempt to keep it secure.”
Arithel: “True, so you suggest us splitting up then? some stay with the troops, while others collect the needed information?”
Safana: “My advise is to go in with the information we have, rather than to lounge about here any longer than we have to.”
Kiergath (Safana): advice?
Kiergath (Safana): advise?
Nick (Arithel): c
Kiergath (Safana): that work always kills me.
Kiergath (Safana): word, even
Nick (Arithel): windmeal
Meich: “A scouting expedition would take a minimum of three days – a day there, a day to scout, and a day back. If it’s even successful, that’s three days of your assassins tracking you down.”
Arithel: “So then we go in fast and precise based on what we know.”
Arithel: “And based on what we know, would 500 armed soldiers be sufficient?”
Arithel: “Because thats likely all we have the coin to hire.”
Varic Thorn: “I have 2000 gold i can offer up to the cause.”
Varic Thorn: “Its not much but its all i have.”
Safana: “Its probably more than we’ll need to use all told.”
Safana: “Keep in mind, however, that we will also need to acquire at least one ship.”
Safana: “Assuming hiring it becomes necessary.”
Arithel: “Varic this is not your battle, you do not have to contribute, let alone participate if you do not want.”
Varic Thorn: “You wound me good sir. Do I look like the type that shirnks from a just cause?”
Varic Thorn: “Wait, dont answer that.”
Arithel eyes Varic thoughtfully.
Arithel: Skill [Sense Motive] [1d20+3 = 7]
Safana sighs, pulling the map back out of a bag and unrolling it on the table.
Arithel: “No, you are correct, you are a man of justice.”
Varic Thorn: “Then take my coin. Im sure youll find a way to pay me back in the future, if you feel you need to.”
Safana: “As I was saying, we have five targets. The two of least military import are the harbormaster and the fire station. They aren’t fortified and are primarily important to take for their economic value.”
Safana: “Since we’ll have to land in the harbor, taking it is probably the easiest part of this whole operation.”
Safana: “The difficulty is in the other three.”
Safana points at the other three circled buildings in turn, “The city hall, armory, and barracks. All three are fortified and liable to be actively defended, no matter the hour.”
Safana: “The armory has to fall, no matter what. If it doesn’t, any guards not on duty can be armed and any loyal civilians can as well.”
Safana: “On the other hand, if we take it, any civilians willing to help us can be armed as well.”
Varic Thorn: “So we three should attack the building to be sure?”
Safana: “That would be best.”
Safana: “We will need, at minimum, five groups of mercenaries. Two smaller ones, for the harbor and fire station, and three main groups for the other targets.”
Varic Thorn: “How much coin so we have to work with, including my purse.”
Safana: “Meich, how many men do you suppose three hundred gold would keep on for a three day operation?”
Meich: “You’d be able to get about four hundred mercs for that much – no specialists, but that’ll likely do.”
Safana: “Do you think you can arrange it?”
Meich: “I can contact some some people, see if I can drum up some interest. That’s a lot of bodies, but I’ll give it a try.”
Safana: “Varic, Arithel, at that rate I would ask each of you for a hundred gold.”
Arithel: “That is acceptable.”
Safana: “Meich, if it helps grease the wheels, you can promise every man an extra gold on completion of mission.”
Varic Thorn: “I know ive said this before, but it is worth repeating. You can make full use of my coin purse be it 100 or 2000 gold.”
Varic Thorn: “Id rather you spend as much as possible since it increases our chances of success.”
Arithel: “That is true. We will only get one shot at this.”
Arithel: “Ask some of the more reliable mercenary companies that are better outfitted for 400 men including specialists, our budget is 2000 gold.”
Arithel: “Go on Safana.”
Safana: “As you wish. I suggest fifty men for each of the two smaller objectives, a hundred for the other three.”
Meich: “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll leave the planning to you.”
Nick (Arithel): its 10 gold to 1 plat?
Nick (Arithel): or 5 to 1?
Kiergath (Safana): 10?
Alex: 10, I think
Alex: Anyhow, I have to run guys.
Meich leaves!
RECAP
Safana, Varic, Arithel and Meich find themselves having a quiet lunch, discussing the plans for the upcoming conflict. Safana lays out a rough idea of where the most important buildings in Islas are. They decide that the most important thing is to discover a portal back to Islas. Meich gets sent to discover the portal using her contacts. They send her off to hire 400 men, including some specialist soldiers.
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