CH 10: The Tharkadan Towers

[Jenara]

Standing weakly, Laurana moves towards the Cleric, "I will help where I can, we need to get families together." Slumping down she sits and watches the women, "Maritta, we need to get everyone together who belongs together."

"Me glad to help." The Little Dwarf smiles cheerfully, "Big Dragon come soon?"

"Not if we can help it Magpie. Tas can you start talking to the Children? We need to find families.."

[HorizonsDream]

"Caramon and Riverwind could pretend like they are escorting us prisoners," Tika offered thoughtfully.

[Nuke]

Glad the confrontation has avoided, he hangs back a bit while the patrol moves on.

"Thanks be to Mishakal, and to you my dear."

"Raistlin, do you have any options, or is it steel and blood?"

[JadedDM]

Red Team
Raistlin frowns. "I do have a sleep spell that can take them out quietly, but...it seems a waste on just two of them. Even so, someone would need to go out there and distract them while I cast it. If they see me casting, they will likely attack or raise the alarm before I can finish."

[Breila]

"I think Tika's idea is good" Goldmoon says. "Perhaps we can pass, and if we can't, we can still decide if it's better to take them out or if Raistlin casts his spell."

[Kafen]

Tas looks around the group for the people in charge of the kids.

[Nuke]

"That could work, and at least it would get us in close."

"Sheath your weapons and put your hands behind your backs, Tas you in front."

[HorizonsDream]

(Tas isn't with the Red Group).

Tika put her hands behind her back like told since they were apparently going along with her plan.

[Breila]

Goldmoon joins Tika in a similar pose, eyes cast down.

[JadedDM]

Red Team
The party moves forward, the 'prisoners' keeping their hands behind their backs and their heads down.

"What's this?" one hobgoblin asks as they pass.

"New prisoners," Caramon says, trying to disguise his voice for some unnecessary reason. "We caught the mage that went missing, and these two women were caught helping him."

"Oh, yeah," says the other hobgoblin. "I heard a mage in red got away. Good job. Lord Verminaard will want to question him, when he's done with Toede."

"Oh...of course," Caramon says, not sure what further to add.

The hobgoblins leave them be, so they continue forward. When they reach the door to the prison, they see it is heavy and barred and has a small hatch near the bottom. A massive lock protects the latch to the door as well as the hatch.

The Majere brothers share a look, then a nod. While Caramon pretends to fiddle with the lock to unlock it, Raistlin whispers, "Khetsaram pakliol," and the lock just magically opens up.

Inside is a large room that contains three occupants: Tanis, Flint, and a dirty, unshaven and very smelly gully dwarf. It is none other than Sestun, the gully dwarf who freed the heroes from their cage in the slave caravan.

Sestun just stares up at the party fouly, but Tanis and Flint quickly get to their feet. "You've come," Tanis says with a sigh of relief. "But where is everyone else?"

Blue Team
"No need to worry about that," Maritta says. "It's already being done." Indeed, since the party arrived with the children, they have been mingling with the crowds, trying to find their mothers, sisters, aunts and cousins. Nobody needed to tell them to do so.

Green Team
Sturm, Gilthanas and Eben continue down the massive hallway. "In any case, best to leave the talking to me if we run into any patrols," Eben suggests.

They reach the door finally and open it up, stepping into an unoccupied hallway. The walls of this hallway are dirty and bare, and the floor is covered in mud. Several broken chairs and a small table, only two of its four legs intact, are the only furniture. A pair of double doors in the north wall and a single iron door in the west wall are all closed. The double doors look as fi they have been hacked with a blade of some kind.

"Which way?" Eben asks.

"I'm...not entirely sure," Gilthanas admits.

=============

Raistlin casts Knock.

[Jerrard]

Nodding Sturm considers the shape of the tower and looks to the North. "This way, they would make them see the outside." Sturm suggests.

[Jenara]

"Then I will rest, please tell me when we are ready." Laurana slumps down weakly.

"Humans all ready? Not ready for us yet?" Magpie asks Elistan.

[Breila]

"We've split up" Goldmoon explains. "There are a lot more prisoners to be freed. Now, is any of you hurt?"

[Nuke]

Riverwind says nothing during the exchange, as things were going well, As they enter the room he says "Good job Caramon, do you think you could talk one of them over here and we can jump him?"

The plainsman walks to the dwarf and elf, putting his palm on theirs shoulders, "We will need your help."

He reaches and extracts two daggers, handing one to each of them.

"It's all I have to spare."

[JadedDM]

Red Team
"I'm fine, but Flint is pretty bad off," Tanis says. "They haven't hurt us, but we're still suffering from the injuries we took when we were captured."

He and Flint accept the daggers. "Thanks," the half-elf says. "I hope you guys have a plan?"

Caramon steps out and calls to the hobgoblins. "Hey, the dwarf is getting rowdy in here! Can you give us a hand?"

The two hobgoblins glance at each other, then start to come over, pulling out their swords.

Blue Team
"That's right, little one," Elistan says. "We must wait a bit longer before we're supposed to move out. We need to give the others time to do what they must do first."

Green Team
Nodding, Gilthanas steps up to the north doors and pushes them open. The room inside is dimly lit by a number of flickering fireplaces, and the air is yellow with smoke. Many long tables and benches sit in the shadows, and a stench of foul food and cheap ale fills the air.

To the west is another door and a stairway leading up to the north. Inside the room, sitting around and complaining loudly, are seven draconians and six hobgoblins.

"It's bullcrap, I tell you," says one draconian. "They're off killing elves while we're stuck here doing nothing. I tell you, if I could just kill one elf, I'd be happy." The group then notices Gilthanas, Sturm and Eben. There's a pregnant pause of awkward silence before they all jump to their feet, fumbling for their swords. "Get them! Get them!"

============

(OOC: Tanis is at 39/45 HP and poor Flint is at 14/52 HP.

Actions and initiative for Round 1, Green Team?)