Warhammer Quest: The Sylvan Epic
- Thread starter Oversoul
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turgy22
Nothing Special
Not so far ahead that we can't see him, but far enough ahead so that if something kills him, we can sneak away quietly.
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
Measuring that distance would require some assessment of your capacity for sneaking. Throg could ask Revaethan to make such an assessment, but the wardancer would presumably object to the concept.
Being an elf, and in theory somewhat at home in these areas, I'd say that Revaethan would best be the judge of how far ahead he should go and yet be close enough to help out if there's trouble. I would think with Jekaena being somewhat slower afoot than the rest of us he'd have no trouble coming and going as needed. I would imagine he'd be aware of good ambush spots along the route where the group would be vulnerable, and would cover things by alerting us to the risk, check ahead to evaluate the situation, and would take up flanking position as applicable while we pass through. Where there's enemies on all sides I'd expect him to suggest attack vectors that would minimize the risk of pulling the whole damn forest of goblins down on us at one time, or to at least direct the group to advantageous ground for the fight.
I know that seems like a lot to ask of him, but it IS his forest and his people's tree that need saving, isn't it? I would think he'd be volunteering for all this, actually...
I know that seems like a lot to ask of him, but it IS his forest and his people's tree that need saving, isn't it? I would think he'd be volunteering for all this, actually...
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
Good idea, but...Being an elf, and in theory somewhat at home in these areas, I'd say that Revaethan would best be the judge of how far ahead he should go and yet be close enough to help out if there's trouble. I would think with Jekaena being somewhat slower afoot than the rest of us he'd have no trouble coming and going as needed. I would imagine he'd be aware of good ambush spots along the route where the group would be vulnerable, and would cover things by alerting us to the risk, check ahead to evaluate the situation, and would take up flanking position as applicable while we pass through. Where there's enemies on all sides I'd expect him to suggest attack vectors that would minimize the risk of pulling the whole damn forest of goblins down on us at one time, or to at least direct the group to advantageous ground for the fight.
I know that seems like a lot to ask of him, but it IS his forest and his people's tree that need saving, isn't it? I would think he'd be volunteering for all this, actually...
- Revaethan has never been through here. While he might be more familiar with the forest in general than the other characters, he has no more experience than Ty with moving through this unique area. While wardancers do spend time traversing the forest, and even have their own secret outposts and such, this particular area is unfamiliar to him. He might have passed through other parts of the Pine Crags at some point in his life, so maybe he'd have a better background for spotting some things than other characters, but if the idea is that he's got an advantage by being on his home turf, I'm afraid not. Jekaena has been through here, but obviously she'd make a poor scout.
- Revaethan isn't trained as an outrider or explorer. He's trained to be a protector. While he tries to be flexible, his idea of how far ahead to move would be very conservative. So if you want him to use his judgment, we can do that, but that's where I think his judgment would place him: he'd travel just slightly ahead of the others and fall back to guard the front at the first sign of anything untoward.
- If Revaethan uses his Woven Mist skill, attacking takes up the same slots he'd use for Move. This potentially makes him worse for fighting his way back to the rest of the group. On the other hand, his Dance of Death skill makes it easier for him to move and attack within the same round of combat, which might make him better for that sort of thing. It seems like a mixed bag. Worth noting, though.
- This is the big one. I'm unclear if you guys want this to be strictly a marching order thing or if you have something else in mind. If it's just "Revaethan travels one full space ahead of the rest of the party" or "Revaethan travels two full spaces ahead of the rest of the party" then that's pretty easy. If you want an NPC character to be trying to sneak into rooms by himself, then double back and report his findings, that's trickier and I hadn't prepared for it. I guess I can figure something out, though...
I was unaware Revaethan was unfamiliar with the area we're traveling through, and would be unsuited temperamentally to the concept of scouting. I thought using Revaethan the way I described would help move things along here, but instead let's just go with Spidey's idea and let the chips fall where they may...
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
You part ways with the wood elf escorts, leaving your mounts in their care. The horses accept this calmly enough, but Onola is an ass about it. You disappear into a thick forest, with Throg and Revaethan taking point, followed by Dorgath and Kelgar, then Tomas and Jekaena, with Ty and Carrow bringing up the rear guard. In some places, the path between trees narrows so much that you are shoulder-to-shoulder with the person next to you. In others, everyone except Dorgath is forced to duck beneath the thick vegetation. Jekaena offers occasional direction, steering the party alongside and eventually over a ridge. She indicates a steep, rocky embankment, and at first it seems a dubious proposition that the injured elf could scale such an obstacle. But her magic cane seems to work, driving her forward at the same plodding pace she'd been using on flat ground. The rest of the group has to exert themselves a bit just to keep pace with her, especially Dorgath and Kelgar in their metal armor (Throg is not visibly exerted by the climb, but his face is hidden anyway and also he seems to be floating above the ground in brief hops as he moves over the rocks, which is pretty weird). The embankment lead to a huge bridge of twisting tree limbs, and before you know it, you're walking through the forest canopy. You take a winding path up around a huge tree, like a crude spiral staircase, and get an excellent view of the land to the east: a sprawling expanse of thick forest interspersed with a network of steep cliffs. These are the famous Pine Crags, an incredibly large fortress of interwoven nature and artifice, built up and reinforced over centuries of war against orcs, dwarves, and the Chaotic denizens of the Wildwood. Jekaena points out a gradually ascending path of tree limbs, leading through the canopy...
"We'll want to go that way. I don't know where the goblin invasion is happening, but when I came through here before, I went this way to stay above the creatures that were down there at the time. Uh, I guess if you're afraid of heights, don't look down or something? This part really shouldn't be dangerous, but we might run into trouble later on. I mean, if they're going to attack us, it'll probably be in the tunnels."
The journey in the trees continues, although you soon pass the highest point along the path and begin a slow descent, wrapping around more trees than you can keep track of.
"I don't know what we should anticipate encountering, other than more goblins. You guys are the adventurers, so you probably have a better idea than I do anyway. My cousin, Coril, seems to be under the influence of dark elves, specifically a sorceress named Khaligri, and I'm worried that she might be hunting us..."
"We'll want to go that way. I don't know where the goblin invasion is happening, but when I came through here before, I went this way to stay above the creatures that were down there at the time. Uh, I guess if you're afraid of heights, don't look down or something? This part really shouldn't be dangerous, but we might run into trouble later on. I mean, if they're going to attack us, it'll probably be in the tunnels."
The journey in the trees continues, although you soon pass the highest point along the path and begin a slow descent, wrapping around more trees than you can keep track of.
"I don't know what we should anticipate encountering, other than more goblins. You guys are the adventurers, so you probably have a better idea than I do anyway. My cousin, Coril, seems to be under the influence of dark elves, specifically a sorceress named Khaligri, and I'm worried that she might be hunting us..."
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
"She's dead? Well, that's a relief. I wonder if Coril knows. He was under her thrall, so he'd either be crushed or completely enraged, but I don't know which. There are bound to be other dark elves involved, though. So we should still be careful."
You proceed further through the canopy, traveling deep into a stand of ancient trees.
"How did dark elves get to Coril? I wish I knew. He was definitely behaving strangely, but I had no idea that he was planning to kill me! I'd postulate that they targeted him because he was a formidable soldier and perhaps he was particularly vulnerable to their influence for some reason. Since their plot involves the Heart of Welhallas, they might have wanted someone from my family for our connection to it. But Coril had no training in magic that I knew of and he was learning these terrible rituals, as his journal indicates, in a very deliberate, mechanistic way. I'm more worried about his skill as a swordsman and an archer."
Revaethan chimes in...
"I don't know if he's quite as good a shot as Carrow, but he is certainly a skilled swordsman. If we come into conflict with him and he believes that Khaligri is still alive, perhaps we can use that to our advantage."
You proceed further through the canopy, traveling deep into a stand of ancient trees.
"How did dark elves get to Coril? I wish I knew. He was definitely behaving strangely, but I had no idea that he was planning to kill me! I'd postulate that they targeted him because he was a formidable soldier and perhaps he was particularly vulnerable to their influence for some reason. Since their plot involves the Heart of Welhallas, they might have wanted someone from my family for our connection to it. But Coril had no training in magic that I knew of and he was learning these terrible rituals, as his journal indicates, in a very deliberate, mechanistic way. I'm more worried about his skill as a swordsman and an archer."
Revaethan chimes in...
"I don't know if he's quite as good a shot as Carrow, but he is certainly a skilled swordsman. If we come into conflict with him and he believes that Khaligri is still alive, perhaps we can use that to our advantage."
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
You wind through more stands of trees, eventually crossing a long bridge over a deep chasm, where it looks like you can see orcs and goblins moving around. You pass over them and continue through the canopy.
"We're getting close now. Hopefully we get through the Pine Crags soon and we can get to that temple before Coril does."
After more traveling in the treetops, you descend a long ridge with a narrow, switchback trail. Finally, the ridge comes to an end and you return to the forest floor. Jekaena points out a copse of trees that grow thick together, with a dark, narrow passage. Revaethan does a double-take.
"Through there?"
"It was how I got through before!"
"Fine. Be on your guard then! I have a feeling that if we're going to meet with any opposition, it'll be in a place like that. Everyone ready?"
"We're getting close now. Hopefully we get through the Pine Crags soon and we can get to that temple before Coril does."
After more traveling in the treetops, you descend a long ridge with a narrow, switchback trail. Finally, the ridge comes to an end and you return to the forest floor. Jekaena points out a copse of trees that grow thick together, with a dark, narrow passage. Revaethan does a double-take.
"Through there?"
"It was how I got through before!"
"Fine. Be on your guard then! I have a feeling that if we're going to meet with any opposition, it'll be in a place like that. Everyone ready?"
