"I come up to here, Simply Elwood," Dreya states, leaning to her right a bit. With one finger, she pokes the cleric in the center of his chainmail covered chest, shaking her hand with a grimace from jabbing metal links a tad too hard.  "I am kind of kid-like, or not much taller anyway, if you all need it. But Sir Hugh and I could get out...like...at the cabin when...Flyspin, Flysp-, Fl-Fly-Fly, oh for pete's sake!  Flyspawn...ahn... got us out from under the cabin."

Then she shrugs as she leans back.  "Just one idea.  But first plan is good too."

Seline walks over to Dreya, pauses for a brief moment and looks at her as a slight smile cracks her lips. "My dear beautiful Dreya, Elwood meant no harm nor offense to you, it is that he has the upmost concern for your wellbeing in mind. We would be all greif stricken if anything were to happen to you that we could have prevented, and left utterly devastated if we lost you forever. You see you provide a youthful bright shine to the group showing us the brilliant beauty of life. Plus the fact that even you are short the children they are abduction come to about here on you." Seline gently places her hand flat and horizontal on Dreya's chest about half between her boobs and shoulders.

Anthony strokes his beard. "I propose that we try the original plan, as Elwood suggested and, if that fails, we subdue them and discern this half-ogre's location from our prisoners."

With an odd, startled squawk over having a hand suddenly plastered against her chest, Dreya flings herself backward in her chair, her momentum tilting the chair backward on two legs for a harrowing moment before that momentum continued, carrying her, and the chair, right on over to crash against the inn floor.  In a mad scramble, Dreya surges to her feet feet, brushing tendrils of dark locks that had fallen in her vision.  That's when she freezes, realizing her precious hood is no longer cloaking around her head!

No!  Reaching up, she half spins around in place until she manages to snatch up the edge of the cloth, yanking it back up over her head once more.  Maybe they didn't notice...

Dreya glances up to see all eyes at the table on her.  There was no way they didn't notice!  Instead of merely hair the color of a ravens wing, those at the table might take note that Dreya's hair is more than unusual.  It is more like...fur?  A long swath of midnight colored fur?

Frantically, her hand flies to her neck, feeling the absence of the fox hide she always keeps wound around her throat.  There, at her feet, her eyes catch sight of the treasured bit of animal hide.  Stooping over to snatch it up, she quickly winds it around her neck again, securing it a little more snuggly to help keep the hood of her cloak in place a bit more.

Oh no, did they all see it as well?  That wretched cuff, a thin yet wide band of seemingly seamless metal encircling her neck?

Dreya suddenly felt a strong need for a breath of fresh air.  "I...uh...just need to use the privy."  Stooping over, she quickly rights the chair back onto its four legs with a clatter.  "I will be right back."  Then with a succinct nod, Dreya darts away to find the bathroom or outhouse or whatever is used by patrons of the Filthy Unicorn.

Upon discovering that hoping the Filthy Unicorn had such facilities, like an outhouse, was a futile hope, Dreya takes a few moments to merely stand outside, drawing in a few lungfulls of non smokey air.

Bracing her shoulders, she ducks back into the din of the Filthy Unicorn and heads to the corner her adventuring friends are still claiming. Pulling out the last empty chair she toppled over in only moments ago, Dreya reclaimes her place at the table with obvious nonchalance.

She clears her throat. "So, when do we begin?"

Cole leans back in his chair, thumb and forefinger on chin as he takes in all the suggestions flying about the table.  "Elwood, Anthony, I find both of you have given sound advice. Let us stick to the original plan, offering Dreya and Hugh as bait.  But we only allow our "product" to leave our hands once we are able to show them to Oswald.  And if his minions will not take us to Oswald, do as Anthony suggests, take them on the spot and readjust our plans then.  Anthony, if you wish to act as the wizard who knows all, you may be our speaker if you wish, if not, let me know."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:49, Thu 02 Feb 2017.

"Off we go now!  As one of my mentors would often say,  'Butt kicking for goodness!'"

Seline chuckles at Elwood quoting his mentor, gathers her things and prepares to head out

I need a clearer explanation of the plan.  Are you going to stake out the Temple of Pain and wait until Oswald shows up (if ever)?  Are you going to knock on the back door and ask for Oswald?  Do you have something else in mind?

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 59):

Cole would like to have the group stake the temple out first to gather more intel. If Oswald shows up, we can decide then what we want to do. Once we have gathered the intel than we can do the knock on the door "offer" the goods plan and tell them we will only give them "Dreya and Hugh" if we are taken to Oswald.

Anthony likes Cole's plan a lot and seconds it. "Those who are stealthy can tell us more if they go first. We can wait nearby to aid you if needed, but otherwise we should be smart about this."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:12, Sat 04 Feb 2017.

The party stakes out the rear entrance to the Temple of Pain (construction still in progress).  The Temple is only one story high at this point, although scaffolding is in place to build the Temple much higher.  A small crowd is gathered around the Temple during the day watching the construction take place.  You don't see anything interesting during the day, certainly not an appearance by a tusked ogre.  Routine deliveries of foodstuffs and the like take place with a human accepting shipment at the rear entrance.

Work on the Temple ceases at dusk and the crowd disperses.  It becomes harder to watch the Temple inconspicuously without the crowd for cover.  A few of you take tables outside a tavern down the alley while the rest snuggle under blankets in the alleyway like many of Rotter's homeless population.  Shortly after full dark settles in, you hear the rear door creak open and a couple figures dart outside.  One is large enough to be the infamous Oswald, although you cannot be sure in the dim lighting.  The other appears to be human-sized.  The pair hurries down the alley away from you.

Do you want to keep watching or chase after the two sneakers?

"I don't think we have much time to mull this over. Seline, why don't you sneak after them and the rest of us will follow behind at a further distance. If they get on to us we can always fall back with offering up Dreya and Hugh as product if they take us to Oswald, if he's not one of those two sneaking off."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Mon 06 Feb 2017.

Elwood concurs with Cole's plan.

Dreya, huddled beneath one of the blankets, nods her head quickly too.

Anthonly also agrees with Cole's plan, assuming Seline does.

Seline, with a silent nod of her head, crouches down and begins to move silently, following the two figures she saw leave as close as she can without raising too much suspicion.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Tue 07 Feb 2017.

Seline silently trails the two sneakers while the rest of the party hangs considerably farther back.  The two figures lead you on a fairly long hike through town before finally stopping behind a dark shop, clearly closed for the night.  They approach a rear window.  The big one wraps his giant fist in some sort of cloth, then quickly smashes the window.  The cloth muffles the sound of glass breaking.  Although the noise is quieter than you expected, the shorter sneaker looks around carefully to make sure no one heard anything, then he scampers through the open window.  Seline can hear a muffled scream, then the shorter sneaker thrusts a squirming, gagged child through the window at the big one.  "Oswald" quickly stuffs the child in a big sack as the smaller man slinks back out of the building.  The pair start to retrace their steps.

Seline crouches in the shadows as the two villains approach.  They walk through a shaft of moonlight and Seline can finally get a clear look at their faces.  She is confident the big one is the Oswald the party has been looking for.  His ogre beard is pierced by a pair of dull yellow tusks.  Oswald's companion is a human with a vicious scar across his forehead.  He wears spectacles of all things (sissy!).  The party holds its collective breath as Oswald and his companion walk right past Seline without noticing the thief.

The party must decide whether to confront the pair or move away to avoid detection.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
07:38, Today: Castle Keeper, on behalf of Seline, rolled 19 using 1d20+2.  Sneaking after the sneakers.

---

Feeling the time to enact her role as a slave....shudder...is drawing nigh, Dreya mentally prepares herself to do what she must do, and hope like crazy nothing goes wrong and she only ends up in a cage. Again. She will make her new friends proud.

"Maybe now is a good time to make our introductions as fellow slavers looking for clients" Elwood whispers with a hint of anger and disgust in his voice.

Mutely, Dreya tries to tug her hood further around her face and holds out her hands so someone can lock the chains and cuffs on. Knowing they are tweeked chains does give her a modicum of comfort, no matter how small.

Cole signals his companions to ready their weapons.  Thinking on his toes, a new thought comes to mind.  Whispering in Dreya's ear, he says, "Run and be scared."  He shoves her out toward the nefarious duo walking past Seline.  "Get back here you wretch!  Don't let the slave escape!"  Cole runs out after her.

With a startled gasp as she feels a solid hand on her shoulder propell her roughly into the darkened alley, she stumbles out awkwardly, nearly stumbling to her knees.

Adrenaline and a bolt of fear at the sudden change from the plan spikes through her veins.

For a moment, her gaze flies wildly around as she starts to bolt.

Suddenly she becomes aware she is running toward Oswald and his goon!

With a frantic shriek, she comes to a scrambling halt and backpeddles before trying to sprint in the opposite direction, eyes wild and heart hammering.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Wed 08 Feb 2017.

Seline remains hidden watching Dreya run from Cole, keeping a very close eye on Oswald and his companion to see how they react.

Elwood catches on to Cole's play.  He grabs Hugh by the back of the collar and whispers "I think you understand what Cole is up to." Hugh nods in the affirmative.  Elwood then follows Cole, pushing Hugh along.