Ioelenna nods.

" Of Course. I was wondering how long I was going to be in this heat. "

It's only going to get warmer. We still need to retake the ship. Those able and who won't look suspicious may need to put a cloak on.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 321):

Ioelenna raises her hood and spreads her cloak over her arms.

" Duh? "

Points at the crew, Captain and Prince, then starts forward to leave.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:01, Tue 18 July 2017.

Danyka simply nodded to Tealon and Ioelenna's quips.  She'd been quietly brooding for a bit, but the call to action stirred her into motion.  Her curved Elven blade was still gripped tightly in her right hand.  She acknowledged Khuno and Nicollo's mission, stating only, "Make your way back to the Seacutter as quickly as possible.  I suspect we won't be able to wait long, if at all.  And that assumes we can take her..."

"You're with us, Tealon."  Dany motioned, knowing that his wings were better utilized outside.  "The ship is first priority." the thin Rynnish brunette noted to her flying mechanik, "Any tech left behind will have to be dealt with afterwards, if we can.  Our mission is our people, the ship and its contents secondary.  So, we are just moving down the list ..."

"Let's go." the darkly-garbed Llaelese gun mage prompted, turning quickly on her heel with a flourish of her heavy woolen travel cape.

In reply to Danyka Ydrasyl (msg # 324):

Hearing the words from the Leader of the Iron Fists gave Tealon more purpose. I will fly ahead he said as they exited the complex into the courtyard. Then took off.

The group heads back down the stairs, and then down the long ramp, back into town. Even if anyone had spotted them, seeing a large group moving away from the fortress was not unusual.

As they get back in town, they see a few lights coming on... candles and lanterns being lit. False dawn is about a half hour away now, but there's not yet anyone out on the streets. It's that "no man's" zone: anyone who had night time business is finally asleep somewhere, and the morning businesses aren't quite out and about yet.

As long as the group stays fairly quiet, they draw no attention from windows with or without lights.

Tealon's aerial recon gets them back to the docks without getting lost. Then it's just about finding boats. There are certainly enough of them. Taking fishing boats will be noticed the most and quickest, but it will take smaller boats to accommodate everyone. The more boats, the easier they'll be to spot.

Getting in the boats goes without incident, and the small fleet heads out to the island. The plan is to approach obliquely at first, and from two directions. Tealon will, hopefully, be able to take out--silently--any of the watch on the ship that spots the approaching boats.

Once on board, the crew should be able to take out the watch. Tealon is to delay any of the guards in the barracks that might get roused.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 326):

Flying on ahead, Tealon, high on wing, views the barracks and the ship close by. Keeping watch, calculating the optimum time to remove the watch from the boat with minimal noise. Crossbow by his side flapping the wings to keep movement, he figures he needs and can easily get 5 minutes to observe before needing to take the crossbows, loaded ready to aim should the opportunity arise earlier.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 327):

Ioelenna ducks into an alley way and climbs a wall back to the roof tops in an attempt to follow Tealon along the roof tops.

Ioelenna can reach the roofs easily, and follow Tealon across the rooftops, but only until she reaches the docks. From there, it gets tricky.

There is a way to reach one of the buildings on the docks, but she has to go a bit out of the way from the direct line to follow Tealon.

Of course, once there, he goes out over the water.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 329):

Near the docks I find a stealth way to get in the water and follow him.

In reply to Ioelenna Winterspire (msg # 330):

Occasionally glancing back the way he came, across the water, to see how progress with the others is going, Tealon counts the guards, the time they see each other and how long they are hidden from each other. He also listens to the natural sounds of the ship, dock and water, hoping to get a rhythm in order to hide his strikes.

OOC: In case it is needed/required:
11:50, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 20 using 1d20+1.  Spot Check.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:53, Wed 26 July 2017.

Ioelenna has no difficulty slipping into the water stealthily, mainly because there's still no one about. Some people are stirring, but not all buildings show signs of light yet. Most will probably wait until the sun comes up to provide whatever light they might need.

At this hour of the morning, the water is as cold as it's likely to get, as it's thrown off all the heat absorbed from the previous day's sun. At this latitude, though, it never gets very cold, as it's also likely affected by whatever local currents are in play.

It feels a bit warm for Ioelenna, but not uncomfortably so.


Just like before when Tealon observed the guards, nothing has changed--they appear a bit bored and complacent, especially on the night shift when there isn't any brass around. There are only two guards on the ship--one at the bow and one at the stern. About every 15 minutes, they switch places by going down opposite sides of the ship, stopping briefly in the middle to exchange a few words.

When on station, they walk back and forth to ease up on the boredom. There's no set pace that they use, so they don't sync up, which means every now and then they are both on the same side of the ship at the same time.

What Tealon has to be careful about is, if he attacks, they might be able to sound an alarm if he doesn't silence them instantly. Also, if either of them falls overboard, they might make a splash loud enough to alert someone.

He also has to worry about the rising sun, as the sky is lightening, which means he'll be easier to spot at elevation. He can stay fairly low, using the mountains as a backdrop, to take advantage of the contrast between the lighter sky and the darker mountains.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 332):

Having put the big tent back into cloth form after the fortress and seeing how well it worked, Tealon eyes up ready for when both guards are at the same point.  As worried about the fall as he may be, he seems to have gotten used to the glide of the wings and although it may be dangerous, comes up with a plan and hopes that Ioelenna is in proximity when he sets it in motion, in fact, he'll make sure she's around in case a guard falls into the water.

OOC:  Sorry for the delay, I had posted something on the 28th July but it seems that I must have lost connection with my mobile phone and it didn't send.

Although the first light of false dawn means Tealon will be easier to spot, if he keeps high enough, he could be mistaken for one of the many seabirds that inhabit the island and mainland shores. If he takes out the guards too soon, however, the rest of the guard contingent could be alerted.

He still has to wait for Ioelenna to reach the ship. And he should wait until the rest of the crew reaches the ship. On the other hand, he has to act before the guards spot the approaching boats.

It's not just a timing issue--it's about a judgement call.

From his aerial advantage point, he can see the boats approach a lot more clearly than the guards can. Half were coming from one oblique angle, the other half from the other side. They'd chosen dark-colored boats so that they wouldn't stand out against the dark water.

At least Ioelenna knows that he's circling overhead. Well, so does Danyka and the rest of the crew now. As long as they can see him, they know to be as quiet as they can. Once he drops out of sight, they know that it's going down... NOW.


Unfortunately, Tealon's opportunity doesn't come quite as he planned. He'd decided that the next time the two guards on the ship passed each other would be the time to attack, as Ioelenna was nearly in place. But, as the one guard reached the stern and was turning to go back, he seems to have spotted something out at sea. He's squinting a bit to make out the details.

Tealon can't wait any longer. If he does, the guard could sound the alarm! Then the rest of the guards would be roused, pour out of the barracks and onto the ship. The crew would then be sitting ducks in the water.

Tealon can dive down on the guard... make an attack roll! If he does at least 4 points of damage, he'll knock the guard off the ship. Tealon then has to make 2 Dex checks (DC 18 to keep from colliding with the deck or some other part of the ship, and DC 15 to make it to the bow of the ship where the other guard is).

Ioelenna is close to the ship when she spots Tealon's attack.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 334):

Ioelenna gets nearby and looks over the situation tactically to determine her next move.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 334):

Tealon sees that his opportunity for his strategy has caught up on his, his only action is to dive, the other guard was out of sight. He needs to act now or could lose the chance for minimal guards.

He dives, aiming to take the guard off the ship, he maneuvers to ensure that if he misses, he doesn't hit the ship but could land in the water, those extra 20 feet or so could be the difference between his severe injury on crashing and the survival  of the whole crew. He sees no other option as dropping the large tent will cause too much noise for minimal effect now.

He swerves to position: He dives with rapier out in front of him ready to hold out to increase his dive attack.

His attack was spot on and the angle just right as he strikes to inhale and topple the guard.

Ooc: 14:43, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Dex Check.
14:43, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 18 using 1d20+3.  Dex Check.

14:48, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 22 using 1d20+3. Attack.

14:55, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 12 using 1d20+3.  Confirm Critical. Has a +1 to confirm which I forgot to add. Total 13
Damage = 4 (+7 if confirmed crit)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Sun 13 Aug 2017.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 336):

Having struck the guard, before he even sees if it was completely successful, he swiftly turns to the other guard.

14:57, Today: Tealon Holdron rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Retract to Next Guard

Danyka sat at the prow of the lead boat.  She kept low in an attempt to remain undetected, even though she was pretty sure that it wasn't really going to to do much good if the guards were really aware.  She'd stayed with the rest of the crew and the boats partly because someone needed to.  But really, Dany couldn't swim all that well.  Sure, she'd had the crash course in basic.  But with all her gear and armour on.  Staying dry was the safest bet.  Plus, then she'd arrive with the others and could coordinate the attempt to retake the Seacutter.

She watched eagerly as Tealon flew stealthily overhead and started to engage the enemy.  The young Llaelese gentlewoman (well, former gentlewoman) gestured to the men manning the oars to increase their tempo.  "Quickly, it's beginning..." Dany urged them quietly, letting the words and her insistence spur them on.

As they approached, the thin Rynnish gun mage drew one of her pistols and kept it trained on the nearest guard.  For some reason, staring down the sites of her magelock's barrel always had a calming, focusing effect.  And it helped Dany make sure that if and when the time came - the guard wouldn't be given the chance to alert anyone else.

---

[OOC:  GM, feel free to roll for Dany to keep things moving - if the opportunity presents itself]

Having swung back to the attack from behind the second guard, the winged Mechanik dives.

Such maneuvers he hadn't done before and it showed, if he hadn't been attacking from above and behind, he may have missed altogether.

Rolled 10 for attack (13+)
Damage 5 if hit.
If Rear attack is +2 and is attacking from above +1? Total still only 13. Hope the guard doesn't get Dex and is only wearing Leather or Studded.

In reply to Tealon Holdron (msg # 339):

Ioelenna aims her polar Ray at the second guard before firing.


22:09, Today: Ioelenna Winterspire rolled 6 using 1d6+5.  Polar Ray damage.
22:09, Today: Ioelenna Winterspire rolled 15 using 1d20+5.  Polar Ray Attack.

With the attack underway and secrecy becoming exceedingly difficult (and no longer the priority), Dany leveled her pistols and fired at the enemy once in range the opportunity presented itself.  She chose to expend some arcane energy instead of ammunition at this point, feeling that it was both more accurate and more flashy for the moment.  The locals may not have gunpowder, so there was that, but multiple force missiles flashing existance was always imposing.

And a third front to defend, even for multiple sentries, was always difficult to manage.  So, with Ioelenna and Tealon already engaged, the raven-haired Rynnish gun mage presented yet a third direction from damage to arrive...

---

OOC:  Dany will cast Magic Missile at the closest available target/guard (she can fire them upto 140'):

  10:52, Today: Danyka Ydrasyl rolled 3,3 using 1d4+1,1d4+1.  Damage: Magic Missile (x2 vs closest sentry/guard).]

As Tealon swooped back up after his attack, he surveyed the area to see if anyone had been attracted by the noise and to see if he could see his companions.

Tealon, attacking from above with surprise, does hit the guard, who is, indeed, flatfooted. The impact drives him forward to topple over the rail and fall into the water. The impact also drives the air from his lungs temporarily, semi-stunning him, so he's not able to control his fall in any way. He essentially dives into the water without making a lot of sound.

Ioelenna's Polar Ray at the other guard hits him just about the same time as the first guard hit the water, so even if there was enough sound to carry to the second guard, he was a bit busy shivering to actually hear it or pay attention to it.

As the boat Danyka is in approaches the ship, she spots the guard at the front. She sees that Ioelenna cast a spell at him, vaguely seeing the bluish glow of magical energy in the dark, and targets the same guard with her Magic Missile.

Although the spell doesn't normally have much impact, the missiles are made of force, and his momentary  shiver makes him more vulnerable. The missile impact drives him over the railing at the front of the ship. He makes a bit more noise with his splash.

Ioelenna, already in the water, can reach him the quickest. As she does, though, she realizes he's already dead.


It doesn't take long for the all the boats to reach the ship now, and the crew starts climbing aboard.


Tealon is once more back in the sky, keeping a watch on the barracks.

In reply to GM StarMaster (msg # 343):

Tealon smiles at the way the Iron Fists dealt with the attack but keeps an eye on the barracks and further out in case any of the fishing boats get too close.

Staying low-ish but circling, the winged Mechanik is patient, puts the rapier away and prepares the crossbow with exploding bolts.  If it comes to a fight, he'll have to ensure they are not pursued.