Perrin's Holy Quest

[venger]

arrowguy said:

We shouldn't leave the civilized areas (broadly speaking) until we get our PCs back. I think we get our supplies and stuff, including training material for Dell and head for Elvish lands so Perrin can be trained. We should probably specifically ask Arden where we can find a priest of Phaulkon. He'll have a good idea. Once Perrin is trained we should head to Castle Crag and fight whoever's reoccupied the castle. That'll be fun. After that, we head south, hitting Karmuck's tower on our way to the Jotens to find the Great Druid.

None of that makes any sense without bullet points.


A) Meet up with Otto. (at the big tree?)
B) Meet up with Winthrop. (??)
C) Training for Perrin. (the hornwood?)
D) Return to Castle Crag? (why??)
E) Karmuk's Tower?
F) The Jotens?
G) The Great Druid?

We're leaving Lord Diego to his own devices? It doesn't seem likely he will wait for us to travel from Hochoch to the Hornwood, wait for Perrin to be trained and THEN head back to claim his castle.

[Dell]

Here's the way I see it:
Option A:

• Winthrop teleports into Hochoch.
  
• Dell gets his train on.
  
• Perrin goes on holy quest (with whoever cares to help him)
  
• Perrin returns.
  
• Perrin gets his train on.
  
• Perrin finishes training.
  
• Dell finishes training.
  
• Party heads down the river and heads into the Jotens to kill giants, find druid.
  

Option B:

• Party goes elsewhere to get training for Perrin.
  
• Winthrop teleports to wherever that is.
  
• Dell gets his train on.
  
• Perrin gets his train on.
  
• Perrin finishes training.
  
• Dell finishes training.
  
• Party heads to tower to face the Bergheim mercenaries and certain death.
  

Option C:

• Party argues about what to do for days.
  
• Dead god awakens, world consumed in flames.
  

[Ginger]

dell said:

Here's the way I see it:
Option A:

• Winthrop teleports into Hochoch.
  
• Dell gets his train on.
  
• Perrin goes on holy quest (with whoever cares to help him)
  
• Perrin returns.
  
• Perrin gets his train on.
  
• Perrin finishes training.
  
• Dell finishes training.
  
• Party heads down the river and heads into the Jotens to kill giants, find druid.
  

Option B:

• Party goes elsewhere to get training for Perrin.
  
• Winthrop teleports to wherever that is.
  
• Dell gets his train on.
  
• Perrin gets his train on.
  
• Perrin finishes training.
  
• Dell finishes training.
  
• Party heads to tower to face the Bergheim mercenaries and certain death.
  

Option C:

• Party argues about what to do for days.
  
• Dead god awakens, world consumed in flames.
  

I don't like A because Winthrop teleporting somewhere he's never seen is very risky. I like C, because there is no life but unlife. I mean, I like C because my naga mistress commands me. I like a modified Plan B. We go to the Hornwood, presumably, to train Perrin. Since he's been there, Winthrop should be able to teleport there.

I think Lord Diego might need another month gathering his followers before he retakes the castle. And I do mean retake. Someone's got to be in there right now.

[venger]

arrowguy said:

I think Lord Diego might need another month gathering his followers before he retakes the castle. And I do mean retake. Someone's got to be in there right now.

Maybe they'll replace all those doors we broke down.

It's a fair journey to the Hornwood- is it a safe bet we can pick up Otto at the tree??


(and lol option c)

[Ginger]

Just for clarity, we really need to split up the plan in two broad parts: Training and Rampaging.
Perrin almost certainly needs to go to the Hornwood for training. Dell can either be trained by a wizard who's not quite right in the head, or by this guy we met in Hochoch. Coordinating all that is difficult enough, since Winthrop can talk to us but we cannot talk to him.

After training, then we get to the rampaging. We can head to the river and go straight to the Jotens if we want to search for the Great Druid. We can stop to hit the tower if we want.

[Dell]

I view the tower as a potentially profitable diversion.

What are the Bergheim mercenaries assets? There's two "Battle Class" mages (always two there are - a master, and an apprentice), and one priest for their magical assets. I'll guess there's a couple dozen juju zombies, a squad of hippogryphs and riders (4th-5th level), some infantry squads (3rd to 5th)... one leader (8th to 10th ) and two or three Lieutenants (6th to 8th).

So at a guess, we're looking at 30-50 humans, 20-25 juju zombies, and 10-15 hippogryphs. It's possible for us to take them, but the odds aren't that great in a frontal assault.

I have a plan, however. And it doesn't involve a giant wooden rabbit or a wheelbarrow.

[venger]

That's all assuming they don't animate a ton of level-draining undead or maybe just vacate the tower (in favor of Castle Crag?) in the three months it'll take us to reunite the party, find a priest of Phaulkon and train Master Dell.

[Wolfgar]

dell said:

So at a guess, we're looking at 30-50 humans, 20-25 juju zombies, and 10-15 hippogryphs. It's possible for us to take them, but the odds aren't that great in a frontal assault.

Unless they have done some major renovations these numbers seem high. I don't think there is enough space to hold this number of people and monsters. Of course we could always use clairvoyance to see what the actual strength is.

After doing some training and reconnaissance I would vote for hitting this next.

[venger]

They're evil, so naturally they've built an elaborate system of catacombs, torture chambers and treasure rooms underneath the tower.

[Ginger]

apprentice said:

They're evil, so naturally they've built an elaborate system of catacombs, torture chambers and treasure rooms underneath the tower.

They didn't before, so I don't know why they would now. Remember, we've already been there and looted the place. They moved back in two years ago, so some stuff has obviously changed, but not that much stuff.

[Ginger]

I think that many creatures is also unreasonable. I mean, the zombies can just stand still for months until they're called for, but that many humans and humanoids can't fit. Weren't there also orks there when we fought? I thought there were orks and ju ju zombies when we fled.

[Dell]

I thought that when we took the tower the first time there were about 30 there, including the ones that flew away. Maybe it's more like 20 fighting men, plus the casters, a captain and a lieutenants, and a dozen juju zombies. The bugbear told us they were a "small but powerful" mercenary group, but the bugbear mercenary group was huge,.

[venger]

Last time we attacked the tower there were at least 20 juju zombies. They surrounded us in groups of 5.

[Perrin]

Thinking back to my very first combat with the Company, we were routed by 25-30 ju-ju zombies along with two magi, a priest, and two warriors. I'd expect that the tower would have this force, plus more men-at-arms.

[Ginger]

perrin said:

Thinking back to my very first combat with the Company, we were routed by 25-30 ju-ju zombies along with two magi, a priest, and two warriors. I'd expect that the tower would have this force, plus more men-at-arms.

There were also a bunch of humans or humanoids. I distinctly remember a large force laughing at Dell's dancing and singing, as well as cheering our rout. The ju-ju zombies don't jeer, so it must have been humans or orcs.

[Dell]

Yeah, there were men on the tower keeping lookout, and the humans (or orcs, or whatever) were forming something of a rear guard while the zombies flanked us. Also, The casters were flying, but there was at least one hippogryph rider who seemed to be double-specialized in his weapon.

[Ginger]

I think they were all fifh level fighters, but I'm not sure.

[venger]

arrowguy said:

There were also a bunch of humans or humanoids. I distinctly remember a large force laughing at Dell's dancing and singing, as well as cheering our rout. The ju-ju zombies don't jeer, so it must have been humans or orcs.

Just before I ran up and saved him (and Jasper) with a well-placed "Wall of Fire." (from a scroll)

[Ginger]

apprentice said:

arrowguy said:

There were also a bunch of humans or humanoids. I distinctly remember a large force laughing at Dell's dancing and singing, as well as cheering our rout. The ju-ju zombies don't jeer, so it must have been humans or orcs.

Just before I ran up and saved him (and Jasper) with a well-placed "Wall of Fire." (from a scroll)

If only you'd used your "Wizard's Eye" instead we might have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!

[venger]

arrowguy said:

If only you'd used your "Wizard's Eye" instead we might have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!

I sorely underestimated the strength of our opponent.
A different perspective on the battle would have been key.