Return To The Ruins (Warlords Palace)

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"That looks like our best option. Let’s do it." He helps with the raft as much as he can.

[OGRE MAGE]

Seems like we may be headed in 2 different directions here?

Under The Zakath Desert
Resting At The Mushroom Hut
No Idea On Time Or Day

Magda sees no obvious signs of anything they haven't yet found along the cliff walls, so she aids Sik and Akhilleus with the raft project.

There is discussion about moving back inside to locate an area that might lead to the long stairway they found on the other side of the cliffs, but no actions are taken to try such an endeavor.

Work continues on repairing the raft, using whatever buoyant material he can salvage from the Matrons furniture. Eventually it is deemed seaworthy again.

Actions?

Taibhse (Sh3) FA:0(20) AC5 15/15 CT
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17 CT
Akhilleus (F4) FA:4 AC4 35/35
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:2 AC6 19/19
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Sleep Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba2) FA:1 AC5 18/25 Torch
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, CLW, CLW, DM, HP

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

"If I may. We have a useable raft. Even if we find the path through the Fortress, which I do want to find, we'd have to drag the raft with us and then use it on the other side. I suggest putting it in the water here and float a bit further on the water."

Kain looks around for agreement.

[silifi]

BTW I fixed my HP on my sheet. Accidentally change the numerator without changing the denominator

Sik wonders whether the raft could be carried through whatever passage, but otherwise thinks someone will have to sail around the corner and meet everyone else on the other side.

"Should we split into two groups, one to take the raft and the others to find the passage through the fortress above?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Accidentally change the numerator without changing the denominator

Thanks!

2 words I haven't heard in a very long time.

[subaltari]

Magda

"With our numbers already dwindling, I feel splitting would not be wise. All the more because we don't know what might be awaiting each party. Even if it takes two trips, we should all take the raft over to the cliff entrance and go in as one group."

[Ahlmzhad]

Taibhse

We need the raft so use it to leapfrog ahead and then go into the fortress if we want. That's the only split that seems worthwhile and short enough.

[silifi]

Sik thinks for a moment about the predicament. "Does anyone have something which might float? The current takes things towards the island. Perhaps if we tied some fishing line to the raft, and then to a bobber that we could send down river, we could retrieve the bobber... And pull the raft to us."

Seeing skepticism on the party's faces, he adds. "I really just don't want to encounter that slug again."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"I don't have anything that floats, unfortunately. We should remain together. I say we try it with the raft here in the river.

I also hope the worm doesn't appear. Burn it's a risk we have to take if we want to go back through a known path."

[The_Wanderer]

Akhilleus

"...Burn it's a risk we have to take if we want to go back through a known path."

Cyril

"Well said. I don't think there is really another way to look at this. Let's test the raft and be ready for the worst."

[subaltari]

Akhilleus
"I also hope the worm doesn't appear. But it's a risk we have to take if we want to go back through a known path."

Magda looks from one man to the next. She's come to appreciate that the biggest of the warriors (Akhilleus, Xenos, and the tallest, Sik) are not muscle-bound oafs but careful thinkers.

"I'm no tactician, but we've faced that vile thing twice and I can think of no reason it won't try for a third time. Now we're fresh, and we should devise a plan to destroy it this time around."

She adds in a mutter, "And if only we had Belloc with us now..." though inwardly she is thinking, Who are you kidding girl? You don't need that vain magician, you just need his staff.

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

"Excellent! It is decided. We go on the raft from here and fight through any obstacles that may come. I can volunteer to pole the raft and continue poling even during a fight."

He pauses to remember. "Don't forget, the water isn't too deep in many places. If we keep to the shore as much as possible we may have better success."

Kain moves to the raft and pole, looking for help to launch it.

[silifi]

Sik warily agrees and holds his axe and torch tightly as they prepare to disembark.

how many can fit on the raft? Sik will go on the first trip - it may be best if we have a fighter type in each trip.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus moves alongside Kain to launch the raft.

To Magda, he says, "Well, no one survives by fighting recklessly. Even predatory animals have a survival instinct. Maybe that worm isn’t eager to come back after the number of wounds we inflicted on it."

Before stepping onto the raft, he addresses all his companions. "Before we set sail again, I just want to say that I feel honored to share this journey with people like you. I hope we all make it back safe and sound, with our friend Drest and our bags full of riches.

Let’s go."

[OGRE MAGE]

Under The Zakath Desert
Leaving The Mushroom Hut
No Idea On Time Or Day

With the makeshift repairs on the lone raft finally finished, Sik guesses the craft can now hold one less person that it did before it was damaged. Setting it back into the river, he and three others climb aboard before it starts to sink under the surface. It becomes pretty clear they will need to make a minimum of 2 trips back to the island to get everyone across.

Kain looks out over the surface of the flowing current, seeing no sign of the creature within. He gets a weird intuition that they have not seen the last of that horror.

Magda makes a surprising suggestion that they should be ready to kill the thing if it shows itself again, or at the very least, scare it away somehow.

Actions?

Any preference as to who goes first?

Taibhse (Sh3) FA:0(20) AC5 15/15 CT
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17 CT
Akhilleus (F4) FA:4 AC4 35/35
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:2 AC6 19/19
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Sleep Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba2) FA:1 AC5 18/25 Torch
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, CLW, CLW, DM, HP

[silifi]

"Three at a time? - I can go first."


Sik details a proposal:

1st Boat out - Sik, Akhilleus, Kain
Akhilleus comes back
2nd Boat out - Akhilleus, Cyril, Xenos
Akhilleus comes back
3rd Boat out - Akhilleus, Magda, Taibhse

specifics could be different but I think it's good to have a fighter in each boat, and probably our strongest fighter on the boat which only carries one.

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

"Hmm. Unfortunate. Four max, and maybe the lightest four. Could we affix a rope so that it could be pulled back to the other group instead of being ferried like some sort of logic puzzle? No, too far."

Kain takes the pole and probes the water. "Or perhaps we could have some people walk with the raft in the water along the shore to get to the next section of beach."

He stands atop the raft, looking for a consensus. "Of course, some could split off and try to find the path through the fortress..."

How long did it take for us to raft down here? Sanctuary lasts ten minutes, trying to determine how much a journey it could cover.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus agrees with Sik's plan and waits to see how it goes when he steps on the raft before following him.

This is gonna be fun...

[shaidar]

Xenos is also happy with the plan.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril

"Kain - I think you are overcomplicating this. Let's just pole quickly and be done with it. If a raft load encounters the worm close to the rest of the party on shore, I think the raft must return to get aid from the rest of the party."