Greyband moves as quietly as he can to get to the sleeping guards.

Patch shivered beneath his multi-patched cloak, his tall, thin frame still not accustomed to the mountain clime. He waited patiently, offering an occasional prayer and pondering the mystery of Jarder's delay. Surely his God approved of such undertakings! May the subtle Hand of Riddles guide you rogue... wherever you are...

"You were right to bring this to my attention," the high priest tells his visitor with a nod, "We have no time for those who do not share in the Shadow Lord's vision. A vision that was imparted to him by Idris herself! Our lancers require a smith they can rely upon for weapons. Not a weak willed fool who refuses to see the necessity of the war that is before us."

The priest stands. "Return home, child. In a day or so, the shop where you labor as an apprentice will belong to you alone. You will see how the Shadow Lord rewards those who are loyal to him."

---

Jayanti and Greyband move quietly across the yard to the spot where the two guards are slumbering. The two adventurers can see, through the partially open temple door, another pair of guards standing in a richly appointed, tiled hallway. The sentries are engaged in what appears to be a serious conversation. At the moment, neither are paying attention to what is transpiring outside.

Wasting no time, Greyband drags one of the sleepers to an angle out of the sight of the two guards, picks him up and then starts making for the brushline carrying the man.

OOC: Strength of 18, so carrying the guy is probably feasible.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:40, Fri 17 Apr 2020.

Neuken smiles approvingly as he listens to the priest’s words of dark justice.  He sounded like a guy who really had his shinola together.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:55, Fri 17 Apr 2020.

That settles that. Definitely a lawful evil high priest.

With the dismissal of the opportunistic woman, Jarder calculates the distance between himself and Shadow Lord's puppet. When he can no longer hear her footsteps down the hallway, he crosses that distance and slams the pommel of his dagger into the base of the man's skull.

He emits one whistle, at a frequency only audible to Fellowship of the Elven Star.

18:27, Today: Jarder Mehro rolled 23,8 using d20+6,d4+2(x2).  Backsmack high priest.

Killian quietly follows Jayanti and Greyband to help drags the unconscious guards to the treeline.

---

OOC: Also 18 Strength, so will help whomever appears to be struggling the most.

Neuken follows Jarder in case he needs backup.

Tension inside of the dark temple was thick and heavy. Patch waited as patiently as he could for Jarder to finish his reconnaissance. The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, minutes into hours...

Now it should be known that codes, cyphers and signals are a lesser, but important part of the doctrine of Amun Tor, who relishes in all things covert. When Jarder whistled, the oddly discordant tones sounded like a hymn in Patch's ears.

He motioned silently to his companions, pointing toward the priest's door. Words of prayer were upon the cleric's lips. He walked to the door, pushed it open and called upon the God of Mysteries to mute the sounds of struggle within.

"Shhhh...."

Patch obviously doesn't know there's someone else inside the room with the priest, so he's simply ready to cast a spell as needed in order to neutralize the priest... Hopefully it will aid with the blacksmith as well. Casting Silence centered where it would make the most sense based on what he sees upon opening the door.

Reaching for the door, Patch utters the last words of his invocation, only to have portal open on its own. Standing in the doorway is the blacksmith’s apprentice, who blinks in surprise at the gathered adventurers, even as Neuken casually brushes past her to enter the high priest’s quarters.

At the same moment, Jarder quietly closes the distance between himself and the temple leader, who has stood to consider some correspondence on his desk. With a quick motion the thief swings the pommel of his dagger, the blow striking the man’s head with an audible crack.

Swaying from the sudden attack, the priest grabs the edge of his desk, turning to face the now visible Jarder with blazing eyes. ”Idris’ cloak!” he exclaims, ”An...” He mouths the word ‘intruder’ but no sound escapes his throat. Jarder is suddenly aware that all sound in the room has ceased.

The apprentice, recognizing that something is terribly wrong, reaches for the short sword at her belt.

15:51, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 1d6.  Initiative - Party.

15:52, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 3 using 1d6.  Initiative - Priest.

The party wins initiative.

OOC: I’m going to assume that the silence spell is centered on the priest’s bed and desk, so any struggle that takes place more than five feet inside the quarters will be muted. That said, as he has just stepped inside, Neuken hasn’t entered the silenced area, and can still cast spells.

Any extended struggle between the blacksmith’s apprentice and Orin, Patch, and Renia could be overheard elsewhere in the temple.

---

Outside, Greyband, Killian, and Jayanti manage to drag the sleeping guards into the adjacent forest without waking them. During the tense journey, one of the sentries drowsily mumbles something about rhubarb pie.

A moment after hiding the slumbering soldiers, another sentry steps out of the temple’s front entrance. ”Zenik! Thow!” he calls, ”Didn’t you two hear me...” His voice trails off as he realizes that his fellow guards are nowhere to be seen.

OOC: At the moment, the adventurers hiding in the tree line have the advantage of surprise and can act first, while the newly arrived guard is still befuddled.

Neuken casts Charm at the priest.

14:20, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 15 using 1d20.  Save vs Spells.

The high priest glares at Neuken with obvious contempt. He mouths several words, his lips curled in a sneer, the communication lost to the silence that has overtaken much of the chamber. Nonetheless, part of its meaning is clear: the cleric of Idris has resisted Neuken’s attempt to charm him.

Orin's eyes went wide when the door opened and someone other than the High Priest stood before them.  A craftswoman of some sort, he figured by the garb, a blacksmith perhaps?  Then such musings were cut off abruptly as she reached for the short sword at her belt.

Knowing a noisy battle at the entrance to the chamber wasn't a good idea, Orin hunkered down behind his shield and rushed the woman, hoping to drive her backwards into the chamber and make room for Patch to join him in the room and hopefully shut the door.


OOC:

16:03, Today: Orin Starshine rolled 21 using 1d20+1.  Attack apprentice (drive back).  Critical bull rush  :)
16:04, Today: Orin Starshine rolled 5 using 1d4+1.  Damage to apprentice.

The sound vacuum disorients Jarder, forcing him to adjust his footing in preparation for a better strike.

19:45, Today: Jarder Mehro rolled 4,3 using d20+2,d4+2.  attack priest.

Greyband nods at the others and then makes a little sound. "Hey wait!" he says, trying to sound like a bit like a child. He then steps behind cover and waits for the man to come over, ready to knock the fellow out.

Killian gives a nod of approval and hides opposite Greyband. He watches the guard, hopeful that he comes over to investigate.

Neuken tries again, this time casting Continual Light at the priest’s eyes.

Renia follows Orin as he rushes the apprentice, forcing the surprised worker into the center of the priest’s chamber, where silence absorbs all sound. Renia follows the dwarven warrior’s attack with one of her own, swinging the flat of her blade down onto the top of the apprentice’s head.

08:42, Today: Renia rolled 15 using 1d20+1.  Attack - Sword.

08:43, Today: Renia rolled 3 using 1d4+1.  Damage - Flat of Sword.

There is no sound from the impact, but the apprentice’s head appears to momentarily hunch down to her shoulders. A drunken grin overtakes her features as her eyes roll back in her head. She takes a pair of unsteady steps backwards, then collapses to the floor.

Dodging Jarder’s follow up assault, the high priest rushes to his bed stand, retrieving the flanged mace that hangs on the wall above it. Brandishing the blue steel weapon, he turns to face his attackers, a triumphant smile on his face.

08:55, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 5 using 1d20.  Saving Throw vs. Spells.

The expression vanishes an instant later as Neuken intones his spell, summoning a blazing light directly into the priest’s eyes. Blinded, the cleric of Idris stumbles forward, walking into his desk as he swings his weapon wildly, sending papers and trinkets flying across the room in complete silence.

OOC: At this juncture, the high priest is essentially helpless, if somewhat destructive. The party members just need to narrate how they go about detaining him. Whatever they try to do will work.

---

The guard’s head snaps toward the tree line when he hears Greyband’s voice. Moving toward the forest, hand still on the hilt of his weapon, he peers into the dark foliage. “Are you two there?” he asks hesitantly, ”Is someone in trouble?”

OOC: The guard is now only a few paces away, so melee attacks are an option for those hiding in the tree line.

With the confident footwork of man who has his foe on the ropes, Jarder dances around and around the sense-deprive high priest. Whenever he's behind him, he pops him one with the pommel of his dagger. After the third sting, the high priest sinks low on rubbery legs until they give out entirely. It's then that Jarder displays his true calling, his true expertise: the practice of ligature.

The high priest looks a fine sight now, gagged and bound (most extravagantly), ready to be hauled away.

"Do you mind if I have a look around?" he mouths and spends a few minutes searching the room.

Then, slinging him over his back, Jarder makes his escape.

When the curious guard reaches the treeline, Killian springs from behind a tree and smashes the pommel of his sword in to the man's head in an attempt to knock him out.



OOC: Hit AC -1 for 7 subdual damage

12:05, Today: Killian Hawkfire rolled 18 using 1d20+4.  Attack (subdue).
12:05, Today: Killian Hawkfire rolled 7 using 1d4+4.  Damage (subdue).

Greyband springs forward at the same moment to deal an accurate if glancing blow to the man.

Hit AC -3 for 5 hp.

18:48, Today: Greyband rolled 5 using 1d4+4 with rolls of 1.  damage from pommel.
18:48, Today: Greyband rolled 20 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 16.  To-hit (subdual).

Grimly determined, expecting more action, ready for it, Neuken follows Jarder.

Patch had been about to utter a rote prayer of binding, but so efficient had been his companions that the divine petition had not been necessary... at least not yet. He stayed near the door outside in the hallway in order to give warning should their intrusion be made known.

To Jarder he simply gave a motion with his hand that he hoped to convey as Make it quick!

When the time for their extraction would come, Patch would assist in carrying their captives.

Killian’s swift blow causes the guard to sway, his feet suddenly unsteady. Greyband’s follow up strike lands directly on top of the sentry’s head, causing the man’s jaw to slam closed with a violent clack and sending several of his teeth sailing into the tree line.

The guard collapses, face first, allowing Jayanti, Killian, and Greyband to quickly drag him out of sight.

---

Prior to departing with the unconscious high priest, Jarder makes an efficient survey of the bed chamber, stumbling across a small chest hidden in a recess behind a statue of the goddess Idris. The chest is full of gold and silver coins, and ends up under the thief’s arm as he, and the rest of the company, make their escape.

The entire party meets the spy, Sean, a short distance down the hidden trail that the trapper had shown them prior to their gambit to kidnap the high priest. Moving with practiced efficiency through the dense foliage, Sean leads the company northeast, away from Geron, deep into the wilderness. None of the adventurers hear any alarm raised as they leave the village behind them.

After an hour of pressing through the thick stands of pine trees and the rocky terrain, the group arrives at a small hut, crudely but solidly constructed from raw timber. Sean quickly explains that the building is one of the shelters he uses during trapping expeditions. Wishing the party good fortune, he takes his leave of them, intent on returning to Geron before his absence is noticed.

The interior of the hut is a single room, with a rough hewn table and two benches, along with a hearth built from skillfully stacked stones.

The high priest gives out a soft groan, suggesting that he is slowly returning to consciousness.

OOC: The pilfered chest contains 320 gold pieces and 430 silver pieces.