Sir Luthien clanked and clattered his way around the outside of the moathouse and peered intently at the rubble from close range for about a minute.
When he rejoined the party at the gatehouse he appeared be be slightly pale...
[Private to Sir Luthien: Evil in the main area. LOTS of evil - either dozens of creatures spread around, or one REALLY BIG creature.
At least they haven't come out to greet you yet... :p]

Sir Luthien comes back to the ground, looking pale and grim.

"We've got heavy enemy forces...either one large target or lots of small ones, I can't tell. But the Darkness is strong here indeed."

"So how'd yer wanna play this Sir Luthien?" Arek asked stressing the Paladins newly acquired rank and responsibility.

Sir Luthien might be nobility now, but...

"I am not so arrogant as to think rank gives me experience. However, military strategy suggests someone who can needs to find out if we face a single large threat or lots of small ones, as I was unable to determine that. The strategies for a single big target and many small ones vary rather a lot."

"So who's walking in the door then?" Ben asked naively.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Sir Luthien shakes his head.

"Unless you are trained at stealth, nobody is volunteering you, Ben. We are not here to waste the lives of those untrained at a task."

NPC'd

"I'll do it."
Amathaon scampered forward before anyone could respond, skirting the left side of the courtyard before pausing briefly to catch his breath and listen before dashing up the steps and disappearing inside.

Two heartbeats later he reappeared, stumpy legs pumping as fast as they could and he headed in a direct line for the gate, panic stricken and screaming out as he ran.

"RUN!!!!!! DRAGON!!!!!!!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:58, Mon 22 Feb 2016.

Sir Luthien considers.

"Dragons require very specific planning, and we don't have time to come up with one now. Going against dragons unprepared isn't Valor, it's suicide. Fall back for now. We need further information and a VERY Good plan to kill it."

Seeing Amathaon sprinting back and screaming his warning, Ben didn't hesitate. By the time anyone looked, he was already halfway down the track heading back to Hommlett - He was ready and willing to face most foes, but a dragon was something else entirely!!!

Wonnilon knew good advice when he heard it. Especially when it was being shouted at him by a friend running straight at him as fast as their legs would carry them. He turned and ran after Ben. [Private to DM: But Wonnilon knows he doesn't stand a chance in this kind of foot race. He is looking out for a good hiding place along the way. Hopefully somewhere a bit off the side of the track where he can watch the dragon fly past without being seen himself.]

He just called one question over his shoulder to Amathaon as he ran.

"What colour is it?"

Ronalt retreated back to the edge of the moathouse. Waiting to see if the dragon was disturbed by the shouting.

Sir Luthien frowned. Running screaming wasn't going to help them get away. It just made the guy running and screaming most likely to get eaten.

"Take cover. Dragons have excellent hearing. Follow me." Sir Luthien decides the best place to take cover is in the same tunnel they left the statue in...

Follows closely behind Sir Luthien as he has no desire to be eaten by a dragon today.

Adventurers scatter in all directions. Some (Rondo, Sir Luthien, and Amathaon) heading for the tunnel, others (Ben, Wonnilon, Rolf) sprint down the track towards Hommlett, Wonnilon diving off into the bushes after a hundred yards or so, and the rest (Arek, Corvus, Kalador, Ronalt) take cover as best they can near the gate.

Ronalt bravely peers into the courtyard. [Private to Ronalt de Gault: In the shadows inside the building you see something very large and very dark moving about. Maybe a black dragon? Doesn't seem to be coming out, yet, but it's very much awake and aware of the PCs presence nearby.]

Amathaon and Rondo manage, just, to keep up with Luthien, burdened as he is by his heavy armour. [Private to Amathaon Chalkbreaker; Rondo Fiddlestick; Sir Luthien: "It's a black," he gasped as he ran.
"They breath acid don't they?"]

Wonnilon peers out from his hiding spot among the bushes. He puts his short sword away, slings his shield on his back and readies his shortbow instead.

"What'd yer got?" Arek whispered to Ronalt, pulling a scroll from his pack.
"Ah kin 'it 'em wi' a prayer an' then flame strike 'em."
He hoped it wasn't a red. If it was, his biggest weapon would be near useless.

"I have the rope which might keep the dragon on the ground for us to hack at. Depends on the dragon fear and if we can get at its flanks." Ronalt whispered.
"Shame we haven't something nasty we can toss down its throat as soon as it tried to give us a breath attack."
"Something sticky, viscid and nasty. Troll dung, lamp oil with some poison ivy leaves for instance."

Sir Luthien considers.

"A black dragon. They breathe acid. I don't imagine we're going to be able to hack it to death with a sword. I think...the best idea might be using the environment. I'd like to trigger an avalanche or something and let nature kill it."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:59, Sun 28 Feb 2016.

"One does not fight dragons at our level of 'expertise'", remarked Corvus, quietly and carefully to those within earshot. "One rather begs them for forgiveness or runs like the wind."

"But, we're only a few mil's from  'ommlett, and we're all tha is."
Well to be honest there were a handful of other adventuring types - Elmo, Felcia, Gwythe, Vestan, Burne, Rufus, and Sven - but all together they still didn't equal the power of the group currently onsite.
However Burne and Rufus had apparently slain a dragon before, although only a relatively young green.

NPC'd

"What's the plan then boss?"

Ronalt listened to the others, "I suppose it comes down to guile, luck and how big the dragon's ego is."
"The dragon hasn't had much time to set up here. It has busted up the rear access so no one could sneak in and steal its gold and stuff."
"I seem to remember there was some other entrances off the courtyard we might use to get at its lair. First however we need to contain it as best we can by making sure those doors can be opened easily." Ronalt pointed to the doors yonder.

"O'er ways 're all blocked."
They'd already seen that - the tunnel caved in, and the hole in the wall in the north east plugged with large pieces of rubble. The only way in or out without using magic was across the courtyard, up the stairs, and through the smashed double doors.
This message was last updated by the player at 02:27, Thu 03 Mar 2016.

NPC'd

Rondo, Sir Luthien, and Amathaon reached the "safety" of the tunnel after about a minute or so of running through the scrub.
[Private to Amathaon Chalkbreaker; Rondo Fiddlestick; Sir Luthien: "Dragon looked too big to fit through here," he panted, catching his breath and recovering his composure.
"What's our next move?"]

Sir Luthien considers.

[Private to Amathaon Chalkbreaker; Rondo Fiddlestick: "We must rig the entrance to this area to collapse, as it did on the other side. While collapsing it would trap us within, and perhaps even lead to our deaths, if we kill the dragon as well, we have made a worthy sacrifice."

How one collapses a tunnel, however, he's not quite sure.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:17, Thu 03 Mar 2016.