OOC: Okay I laughed way too hard at that. Thanks for brightening my day - gain Inspiration as well U'lin, that  piece of characterization was a completely on point.

EDIT: Regarding actually using the catapults- the map's not properly to scale, but if you could secure the area the small garden/park near the pond to the west of the Red Marker would be an appropriate staging point. The smoke and buildings would obscure anything further.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:40, Fri 09 Oct 2020.

The way U'lin bristled caught Moira a bit off-guard, though she hardly had it in her to banter or bicker in her usual manner just then.  "Never said they weren't, U'lin.  Just smaller, is all." she could only give a helpless shrug.  The Firbolg was hard to gauge and she couldn't get a handle on him even on her best day, let alone when she was running purely on adrenaline fumes.

"Among the missing civilians is one Gheryn Foehammer... If Gheryn is still alive, I would ask that you rescue him as well."

At the mention of the Dwarf, Moira felt a sharp prickling across the backs of her hands and raised one to examine her gilded fingers.  By that point the metallic gleam that had surged along her limbs had faded away outside of the immediate threat of battle but, as she balled her fist, the crawling vines of golden-inlaid ivy across her flesh shone all on their own.  "We'll be helpin' him out too then.  Foehammer's still alive, no doubt of it." The absolute assurance in her voice made it obvious that, wherever that confidence was drawn from, Moira was positive the Dwarf yet lived.  "Seems a plan then.  We cut through th'wreckage for Foehammer's shop t'see if we can find any trace of th'fella, salvage what we can t'help for th'fight, then route th'Gargoyles from where they nest.  If they won't move far, means we can use guerilla fightin' t'pick 'em off one at a time."

Though she seemed to have every confidence that Foehammer was fine, another shade of doubt cast itself over Moira's features as she looked about the gathered wounded once again.  "Lord Protector, I know it's a longshot but... where's th'local branch of th'Lionshield Coster at?  It's proprietress, Alaestra; d'ya know of her one way or another?"

The commander shoots a look at one of the scribes, who skims her records for a moment before shaking her head;

"...not reported. Still missing," the Lord Protector's tone remains clipped, though a bit of sympathy eases it's way into her voice, "the Coster is not far from Foehammer's smithy in the North-East wing. Three houses east."

U'lin made a nod and flick away gesture of all good, even a bit sheepish expression on his face for biting on a sensitive spot, when the language clearly was appropriated back by the little folk to no longer be a depreciation of effect or quality.

"Yes, that seems wise a plan, Moira.  Certainly the chance to rescue a dwarven mastersmith is too important to pass, let alone resources to aid our battle against the gargoyles and constructs.  He may have much valuable information in addition to his priceless skills.

"Depending on the scale of this map... I should think here, the small remaining piece of greenspace.  We would prefer a minimum of 60', longer if possible to extend the range.  Here is the outer range, in clear air, but with all the smoke occlusion in the air, I would think
that is about the farthest we can extend the engagement.  So, either north of the fire, along the road, or in the greenspace, if we clear out the north-east group of orcs."

Ooc: I'm going to pause here to let Zaiya and Claire a chance to ask their own questions or at least comment in the situation. If there's anything that doesn't require Daratha to specifically answer, Moira and U'lin, feel free to PM me for now.

"Foehammer..." The name rang a bell with Claire, who recalled the letter from her father's Waterdeep vault. "I think my da knew him." It was settled then, they'd go get him, dead or alive.

"I presume it would be wise to remove Emma, Thente and that little boy to safety before we begin bombarding the gargoyles, yea?" Not to mention Stoor and the scout's bodies. "Let's take into account time for that too," she suggested, anxious not to put the helpless Thente in needless danger.

"Iron Beetle or no, if we can bring 'em here safely now that we know th'way's clear, that'd be for th'better, yea."  Moira agreed before she addressed the Lord Protector once more.  "We stowed our wagons at th'quarry when we first got here.  We've two more in our company - one of who's taken ill - as well as a survivor.  A boy; his folks didn't make it.  Can y'spare those men t'help get our lot in th'Keep?  Miss Emma's an alchemist - she might be able t'give a hand for th'wounded here if y'got supplies she can use."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:31, Fri 09 Oct 2020.

"Gargoyles are a touch matchup if they're resistant to conventional harm"  Zaiya muttered.  "I can restrain them--I can even hurt them a bit if I put all of my power towards that...  A good deal though depends on how resistant they are to fire--most of my attacking magic is based on explosive force and heat, if they're hardened against that as well, I'll have only a handful of options--enough to take out one or maybe two with some help, but I'd tap out in a hurry and then we'd be in a pinch.  Better to find Foehammer I think and see if he has anything to offer and go from there."

"Hyuth Kolstagg was a skilled transmuter and abjurer- he supplied most of the city's anti-siege wards, which includes fire-proofing. Whether he enchanted his servants with the same protections, I never managed to find out. But I'm reasonably certain he would have, given that he expected to meet with Fire Giants tonight."

"Now, do we have a squad we can spare for the mission?" asks Daratha, signaling one of the officers near the map table. Said man seems to think for a moment before nodding;

"...Grimes and his squad were goin' to take a crack with heavy crossbows 'n whatever few magic bolts they could scavenge inna'alf an hour. This'll be 'bout the same, we can shuffle them over," the soldier (a captain, from the looks of it) explains.

"Another trained healer would ease the pressure...we've yet to lose anyone that's been brought in but an extra pair of skilled hands would be immensely helpful," another officer dressed in light green fatigues adds.

"Good! Everyone's heard the plan, now move! You there, go get Staff-Sergeant Grimes and the rest of his marksmen," Lord Protector Daratha points at a nearby messenger with her one good arm, her voice carrying over the low din of the crowd, "Simmic! I need a space cleared for the wagon, and a volunteer to look after an orphan. Setup a third healing station at the South-West bloc! Someone get me the latest scout reports from the area. Who has the last known gargoyle count?! Report!"

UPDATED MAP OF TRIBOAR

Orange = Flames, still spreading
Green = Friendly units
Grey = Recent Enemy Sightings
Red = Gargoyles
Purple = Foehammer's Smithy
Yellow = The Lionshield Coster

Alright, it'll take about ten minutes or so for the wagon to be escorted over and the men saddled up. Feel free to take this time to cast spells or prepare buffs.

What's the party's first approach? Stealth will be trickier with Glory and the catapults, but not impossible. Which location is he party heading to first? And via what route (no need for specifics, just tell me if you are taking additional precautions like staying to alleyways or trying to disguise the cart)
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:32, Fri 09 Oct 2020.

Looks like there's no efficient way to hit everything in one circuit.  If we hit Foehammer's property first, we could either double back around to the south to come up through the greenspace like U'lin mentioned, or just get right to the fight from thereabouts outside the shop - assuming there's enough room to skirt the 100' known limit the Gargoyles travel within.  Either way we're going to be dealing with fires on two sides and the possibility of encountering at least one enemy group en route.

I'd say I probably prefer the greenspace for an angle of attack, if for no other reason than that there's more cover with all the trees and water.  We know one of the enemies has a breath weapon, so having more things we can hide behind and obscure line-of-sight with is better.

Ideally we can plunk the Iron Beetle and any non-stealthy folk right at the edge of the 100' and try to lure one or two Gargoyles to us at a time, rather than having to deal with the entire gang of them all at once.  Even if we can't manage that and have to fight their full numbers, hopefully they actually do have a hard limit on their range and we can whittle them down with hit-and-run tactics.

Unfortunately for Moira, there's no good way to get to her friend's shop straight-away without abandoning the other two missions in the process, so there's no choice but to reserve that for last and hope for the best.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:18, Fri 09 Oct 2020.

OOC:
The map seems much more favourble to clear the north baddie patrol, giving us a straight shot to the armoury/smith recovery, and option to have a retreating fight back towards our reinforcements along the north road.
OR obtaining arms, then circling around for the woods cover... though that does put us into direct conflict with a second group, and close to two other groups, including that central group, and the east group - the two I'd expect to be the largest/strongest.

The biggest thing I don't like about the woods is baddies on all sides, and no good retreat lane.  If we went directly to the woods, any reinforcement call could have us surrounded on all sides, facing unknown number of rampaging gargoyles, a fire-breathing construct, a handful of ogres, and upwards of sixteen axebeak orcriders.

Now if I had my 3rd levels, it might not concern me :p

I'm leaning towards agreeing with U'lin about the risks of staging from the pond/park area. It does look like we could potentially be sandwiched from all sides if we're unlucky.

Shall we clear out the north road and see how it goes from there? If it looks like there's an opportunity to slip in and grab Foehammer without getting into a fight with the gargoyles, we could exploit it. These sort of things might be more evident from the ground.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:02, Fri 09 Oct 2020.

Works for me, sure.  I'm assuming/hoping the chance of encountering an enemy at the grey point is based on an encounter dice roll, so we might get lucky.  Either route has the potential for our escape route to get blocked off by spreading flames, so that's a moot point.

OOC: North grey dot it is!

Eventually, a trio of soldiers in light armor turns up with the wagon. A oddly calm Emma is quickly escorted to the medical tents, while an elderly woman (the boy's grandaunt it seems) takes charge of the orphan. Meanwhile, the leader of the trio introduces himself as Staff-Sergeant Fidelity Grimes, part of an elite ranger unit with the Triboar guard. They bring with them a set of heavily-modified crossbows and half a dozen magic bolts.

"Last sighting was twenty minutes ago. Orc party got into a skirmish with the gargoyles - with luck, there might be one less. So you only have five and the big one," the Lord Protector taps the circle on the map as the party makes to move, "the mansion to the left of the Northern Gate belongs to Sir Esta Immet- she was a skilled knight and duelist in her younger days before she retired to Triboar with her husband. Both are currently residing inside the Keep- they have asked, and I quote, that you 'are free to bring our lovely mansion down on those orc bastards if you need to' but to 'avoid wrecking the front yard'."

"Staff-Sergeant Grimes, you are to defer to Deputy-Captain Moira's authority for the purposes of this mission. In lieu of additional orders, use your best judgement. Dismissed!"

---

Bringing the cart up the northern road is fairly straightfoward. No much in the way of fires, though the horses are clearly tired and reluctant to approach to north-east park. As the group approaches the mansion where the previous orc stragglers were spotted, they hear an unusual sound. A loud crack, followed by the heavy thud of stone crushing against stone.

Just outside the ruins of the Immet estate are two ogres. One of them grips a long stone pillar about five-feet tall. The other has a pile of rubble next to him, along with several tied-up burlap sacks that have been loaded onto a cart. As you watch, the second ogre grabs a chunk of mansory rubble and hurls it at the first ogre. With a resounding crack the first ogre smacks the hunk of stone into the main wing of the mansion, punching through the collapsing walls while throwing up huge plumes of splinters and dust. The creatures laugh, then move to swap places, continuing their game of demolishing the once beautiful estate.

"So, eh...what's the play Ma'am?" Staff-Sergeant Grimes whispers to Moira.

Currently, the ogres are still ~100ft away, and seem too engrossed in their game to notice the Iron Beetle for now. Anyone trying to get closer or engage them will need to make a DC 11 stealth check to see if they notice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:45, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

"If I can get a bit closer, I can drop some grease down there..."  Zaiya mumbles, considering her options.  "Trip them up and slow them down a bit...  Web wouldn't be the best choice though, they'd break out too easily."

She paused briefly.

"Or I could just chuck a fireball at them and see it go boom, I don't think Ogres are known to be particularly fire resistant, your call."

Back in command again...

In her time at Nightstone and traveling with everyone north, Moira had certainly been in the habit of barking out orders and managing what others did.  Perhaps too much, she'd realized a bit too late.  She'd been doing it for years - managing caravans, businesses, and even military units.  Taking the responsibility of leadership and asserting command came naturally to her even to the extent that it urged her to do so when she really would've been better off letting others step up instead.  But having a deputy-title dropped on her head gave Moira a sickening feeling of deja vu as, for another fleeting moment, her memories spirited her away to Hillsfar.

---

In the smoke-laden midst of Triboar, Moira scrutinized their options for getting the Ogres out of the way.  Of course a full-frontal attack was always on the table, but that guaranteed injuries when they needed to be in the best condition they could be in for the Gargoyles.  The Halfling looked about to the distant ruins of the mage's manor where their next targets awaited and - perhaps in the somewhat addled state of exhaustion she was in - couldn't help but feel a crazy plan brew about in her thoughts.  Back at Nightstone when they'd encountered a pair of Ogres prior, she'd played at confusing them.  It hadn't worked at all because of the violence of the encounter, but...

"Think I might got somethin' goin'.  U'lin, y'feel like takin' point for us here?" Moira prompted.  "Y'use that shape-changin' magic y'can do t'make y'self look like an Orc boss and go shout at those Ogres that there's treasure and survivors hidin' in th'manor.  Get 'em t'have a go at fightin' th'Gargoyles for us and let th'monsters rip each other apart while we slip past t'Foehammer's place.

Meantime, th'rest of us hang back with weapons and spells ready t'hit th'Ogres hard by surprise if they don't take th'bait.  Grimes; y'self and y'men should stay with th'Iron Beetle.  Keep th'horses ready t'move at a moment's notice and man th'catapults t'back us up."

Diversions and deceptions were fundamentals in any battle, especially with dull-witted enemies like Ogres.  They were just smart enough to hold a conversation with and trick as has been her experience, given their base desires driving their choices.  Even so, it would still be dangerous and she offered U'lin an out.  "Y'would be puttin' y'self up in front though, U'lin, so I ain't gonna ask y't'make that sorta risk if y'don't wanna.  We can just make a surprise attack on th'two if y'would rather."

"It's always been a natural protection for us, for ancestral avoidance of trouble," U'lin mused, nodding at Moira's suggestion.  "It's not dissimilar to the giant gambit earlier... just less hiding from rocks, and more trying to redirect rocks in advance.

"And I mean, look at that gratuitious smashing of the building, just wanton and cruel destruction of creations.  Horrible.

"I'll go, Moira.

"Staff-Sergeant Grimes - are you able to describe what the leaders wear?  Colour, shape?  Do the leaders do different hairstyle or tattoos?  Hmmm..hhmmm.. Okay, so more spiky, like this?  Even though the spikes interfere with movement, and would help channel swordblades into the joints?  Strangeness.  Colours?  Mmhmm... okay.  Neutrals, mmhmm.  Really, that much in the way of scarring?  Okay.  So, something along this?  REally, bigger?

"What's their speaking style?  The orcs to the ogres, I mean."  The firbolg blinked... more than once, but nodded along with replies.

Gathering his mental image was a different process this time - not a copy of an image, but a piecing together of sketches, examples, and mental crafting.  This was a gradual change, the firbolg thickening, shrinking slightly, but into a much stockier form, and much larger than a human.  The elegance and quality of U'lin's self-crafted plate armour blurred into broken spikes of scratched and bloodied chain and spiked shoulders, with a banded torso of overlapping metal plates.  The hammer he carried became jagged, bloody, and festooned with signs of battle, and a pair of ugly daggers hung upon his hips, even as his legs turned thick with muscle within torn and bloody leather pants that, moments later, found themselves garbed in crude greaves.

The smiling face of U'lin sharpened, broadened, and snarled menacingly.  His left eye turned milky-while, reinforcing the scar running across it and down to one orcan ear, festooned with golden ear rings, and multiple scars; the remaining eye blazed an angry green.  His lip split, thickened with scar tissue, and other scars emerges across his neck and bared forearms.  Thick, long black hair spilled in a matted and knotted mess down his back, and he growled, again lower, then marched directly at the ogres.

Ready or not, here I come.

---

OOC: Disguise self to look as an orcish commander, then marching over.
22:12, Today: U'lin rolled 1,12,2 using d20-1,d20-1,d4.  Deception .
Not great, but it's ogres.
Disguise14

The ogres pause as U'lin approaches, stiffening slightly at the sight of his many 'tattoos'. The one holding the pillar moves it behind him, as if his bulk could somehow hide the make-shift blunt instrument.

"What's their speaking style?  The orcs to the ogres, I mean."

That question got the most dour, serious-toned expression from Moira that any had ever seen her wear as she squared herself to U'lin with all the somberness of asking him to endanger his own life.  "U'lin, this is th'hardest part of all: y'gotta say as little as possible."

She continued to try and explain as best she could on the matter given her own experiences.  Orcs she'd dealt with prior were curt to say the least; harsh, brusque statements with no flowery embellishments or figures of speech.  They said what they meant and let violence handle any miscommunications.  Ogres, meanwhile, were practically monosyllabic and generally couldn't even understand the most simple of flowery analogies.

"They respond t'strength, so y'gotta be forceful.  Commandin'.  Remember, you're their boss.  Y'ain't askin' 'em t'do somethin', you're orderin' 'em t'do it.  And y'gotta do it in as few words as possible.  Think of it like sendin' short reports t'SEER.  Short and t'th'point."

---

Once U'lin was off, Moira lingered in wait with the others, crossbow at the ready to strike at the first sign of things going awry.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:42, Sun 11 Oct 2020.

I Should compliment their effor- NO!  Absolutely not!  U'lin shook his head, grimacing at the mere idea, and the orc face snarled in kind.  'Say as little as possible.' Say as little as possible.'

"Get off yer ass, and get rid of the gargoyles!  NOW!  Knock down their building if you want, but get rid of them - they attacked two other patrols.
Well?  GET MOVING, BLOCKHEADS!!" He gestured his bloody axe-hammer in direction of the gargoyle residence.

Should something else be said?  No - Moira said less-is-more.

U'lin glowered, the orc commander expecting action.

 the nearest ogre gestures at the cart piled high with sacks.

U'lin, you may make me an Intimidation or Persuasion check along with your reply to the ogres at Advantage. No guidance for this one.

U'lin-the-orc commander spat in direction of the wagon, but kept his eyes focused on the two ogres, as though the idea was simply too dumb that he had not thought of it before, and didn't even need to look at what the ogres had to point.

""  U'lin cursed and growled, pointing towards the gargoyle warehouse, whether or not it was visible - thankfully, with the map, he knew where to point.

---

OOC:
13:28, Today: U'lin rolled 19,17 using d20+1,d20+1.  Persuasion .
Persuasion19!
EDIT: oops, ty, yes, DM.  I keep forgetting about the language groups.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:30, Mon 12 Oct 2020.

OOC: I assume U'lin is still speaking in Giant

[Language unknown: "K, thi our." "Eehill wa."]

The ogres nod frantically at U'lins proclaimation. One of them grabs an empty sack and fills it with rubble. The other dumps the pillar and begins dragging what looks like an enormous wooden greatclub. The two shoot one last look at U'lin, shudder, then dash off in the direction of the park.

A few minutes pass in silence.

Then, a horrid screeching fills the air, echoing from the direction of the warehouse. From their position, U'lin can see shadowy winged figures flitting up into the air against the orange glow of the fires. Then, a familiar crack sounds out, followed by a chunk of rubble hitting the flying creature with disturbing accuracy. The creature- gargoyle, screechings angrily again, the sound carrying easily across the city, then dives back down.

It appears you have your distraction.

What's the next step? Entire party to Foehammer's shop? Split up and setup at the park? Go straight for the commotion? The fight won't last more than a minute or two.

"Oh gods, this is actually workin'."  Moira seemed equal parts amazed and delighted to see her scheme come together in the end.  She'd fooled Ogres before by talking them in circles, but U'lin really came through with his performance.  Once the Ogres lumbered away she hurriedly gestured for everyone to get on the move and hustled herself on over to the disguised-Firbolg's side.

"Fantastic job, U'lin!  C'mon, let's hurry and get 'round t'Foehammer's place while th'gettin's good." she urged the others along with a wave.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Mon 12 Oct 2020.

Skirting around the flames and smoke while the gargoyles are preoccupied with the ogres is...considerably easier with the ogres, Moira quickly realises. For one thing, the horrid, monotonous screeching that surely emits from the creatures is beginning to take its toll. As the Iron Beetle strafes around the corner and rumbles towards the location of Foehammer's workshop U'lin can see one of the flying figures pause for a moment. It turns to face the group, but then gets swatted out of the sky by another rock. Deep roars meet heavy screeching and interestingly enough- seem to attract the attention of other orcish patrols. Black arrows and guttural shouts mix with the screeching of the gargoyle creatures as the chaos unfurls a scant two hundred feet away.

Foehammer's smithy is a wreck.

The roof has clearly caved in, from what appears to be an enormous boulder the size of a fully grown orc. Unlike the ones used by the Hills this rock looks rather aerodynamic, smooth and round like a cannonball. The boulder has smashed through the western wall of the smithy, collapsing the roof and sparking a small fire somewhere. Plumes of smoke and sparks gutter from cracks in the rubble. Searching through this wreck would take considerable time and strength.

Digging through the smithy for people/tools will require a mix of Investigation/Perception and Athletics. Specifically, it will need 3 successful DC 15 Investigation/Perception checks and 3 DC 15 Athletics checks, made across the party. Everyone may make the attempt, however each repeated attempt will cost more time, especially if the same PC is making all the checks. Help actions and guidance can be used, but will also count against the time. Sergeant Grimes and his squad are busy manning the squad and keeping a watch on the gargoyles, and thus cannot help you with this search.

Since this is a PbP - I would ask that anyone attempting make 3 rolls of whatever check you want to attempt (if you are using the help action or guidance, it takes the place of one of the rolls), and I'll resolve them in the order than most benefits the party..