GD3 - Fangwood Keep (Inactive)

Game Master Magabeus

You have just arrived in Magnimar and have been welcomed in Heidmarch Manor, the local lodge.

You have been told to wait in a sitting room until your fellow Pathfinders arrive. Venture Captain Heidmarch will join you once you are complete.

A young, dashing Chelaxian walks into Heidmarch Manor, a bright smile on his well-tended, cleanly-shaven face. His clothes are rather simple, those of an explorer save a finely-wrought mithral chain shirt whose color match his eyes. Straight dark hair come down on his shoulders, with a whiff of lavender and icebloom. Seeing that he's the first one to arrive, the Chelish man settles in a comfortable armchair and picks a random Pathfinder chronicle to read while he waits for Venture-Captain Heidmarch and his companions.

"Hello," a woman in her early twenties says as she enters the room. The woman wears a black cloth shirt with a few red frills, and a skirt of similar design reaches halfway her upper legs. Her sturdy black boots, tied to her feet with red laces, leave some mud steps in her wake. Though her shirt is sleeveless, the woman wears black arm warmers.

From the woman's neck hangs a necklace with a symbol. Some may recognize it as the unholy symbol of Urgathoa, the Pallid Princess. Matching this theme is the scythe in the young woman's hand.

"My name's Clair," the woman says with a smile as she offers Auric her free hand. "Nice to meet you! Would you be interested in purchasing a coffin?"

A woman in a heavily stained workman's leather apron enters the sitting room. Looks around a bit and then finds a comfortable chair. She pulls down her hood to expose a horribly acid scarred face and a set of horns close to her bald head.

It has been a while since I visited Heidmarch Manor. I hope this mission doesn't also involve a run through the sewers and crazed Goblin thieves...

Ah, but I forget myself. I am Yakima Thule of Absalom. And, no, I do not have need of a coffin yet.

Auric's nose remains in his book as he polietly replies to Clair in a neutral tone. "I don't believe I need any. I've had my share of false relics and so-called genuine coffin of Arazni, but thank you."

A minute or two later, he raises his eyes to the two newcomers and nods. "I'm Auric Voralius, archaeologist of the Society. Well met."

No, Auric. Do. Not. Ask.

"I'll ask again at a more appropriate moment," Clair replies, still cheerful and smiling. She takes a seat and places her scythe against the table.

"Crazed goblins?" Clair asks Yakima. "When was that?"

The conversation is briefly interrupted by the arrival of a lean halfling with a full head of dark, windswept hair and equally dark eyes. The newcomers clothing, while comfortable and practical, is styled and colored in a recent Taldan style. That aside, his appearance is almost intentionally unremarkable, as if intending to blend into a non-existent crowd. Flashes of mail beneath his clothing and small longsword, longbow and quiver would be the only hint towards his affiliation, were it not for the wayfinder currently held out in front of him.

The halfling stops short of the other Pathfinders, quickly stowing his wayfinder in his backpack and offering a wave up at them.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting. Am I late? I've never been to Varisia before and I couldn't miss out on a chance to explore the famous City of Monuments."

Pausing to catch his breath for a moment, the halfling resumes his introductions.

"My name is Garret Longthorn, and I'm guessing if I've been summoned here then you fine people might be in need of a guide for an upcoming assignment?"

With some effort Garret pulls himself onto a chair, fruitlessly attempting to tidy his hair as he takes a seat as his eyes take in the many details of the room and his future companions.

Another halfling arrives in the room, carrying a small bow and a number of alchemical weapons. His cynical gaze sweeps the room, and a small smirk appears on his lips. "Well, I suppose this is the place. My name is Boram."

The doors are opened and a man and woman enter the room. The man wastes no time and starts immediately "Good morning agents. I am Venture Captain Canayven Heidmarch and this is my wife; Venture Captain Sheila Heidmarch. We have an assignment in the central-western region of the Marideth River valley. As you know this region is highly disputed and both Molthune and Nirmathas claim the region. However the relation between both countries seems to have improved lately." he pours himself a glass of water from a pitcher on the table.

"The border fort Fangwood Keep has been in Nirmathas' hands for a while now, but has recently been taken over by a force of Molthune skirmishers. Then it became interesting..."

He passes the glass to his wife, who continues "Apparently these skirmishers did not operate under orders of Molthune high command. As said Molthune and Nirmathas have improved their relation somewhat and Molthune likes to keep it that way. They have agreed with the Nirmathi forces that they will give the fort back. However the Molthune high command can not be seen attacking it's own forces, even if they did not operate under orders. Therefore we where approached to rectify the situation, which allows us to gain some future favors by the Molthune government."

She takes a sip from her glass, allowing her husband to take over once again "You are to track down Lieutenant Vos and his force of irregulars, secure the fort and leave as soon as Nirmathi forces arrive to take over command. Be stealthy in your endeavours, Lieutenant Vos is a capable leader and has most likely secured the fort quite well by now. A piece of information that we got from Molthune is that there are secret exits to the fort on it's northern side. We do not know exactly where, but they are marked with stones engraved with four interwoven circles. The last thing we know is that Lieutenant Vos is seldom seen without a pale, dark-haired woman named Elessia, rumored to be his lover, who occasionally acts as the platoon’s field medic and infiltration specialist."

He then pours himself a glass and looks at you "That's all. Everything clear?"

"What is known about Vos and his men? Are they mainly fighters, or do they make use of magic as well?" Clair asks.

"And what about this woman, Elessia, is anything else known about her?"

Clair stretches her arms before standing up, and takes hold of her scythe again. "Do you have a map of the fort's layout? Any other items to aid us?"

Canayven scowls as Clair mentions a map "Unfortunately we do not have a map, because of security measures the Molthunes could not share that" he says disgusted.

Sheila quickly takes over, she hands over a small bag "Inside you will find two elixirs of hiding, a scroll of knock, and a scroll of hold portal that might be of use. And of course you have all the shopkeepers of Magnimar waiting to sell you everything you might need."

Canayven takes over once again "As for the woman, she is reported to be a spellcaster of some sort. The irregulars are known as Vos's Strikers and are some 30 men strong. They are all warriors of sorts and are quite good at working behind enemy lines and such."

Hmm, at least they will be humans or at least humanoids? That should make things easier. Sadly I am the only one of us who has good night vision, but it is still probably the best time to approach any sort of fortified keep.

I am probably good on supplies. How far away is this keep, and will we be traveling by land or water?

Boram nods, content with the information they have been provided. "We will do as you ask, of course."

Auric takes notes in a journal, trying to commit everything they learn there. "Very well, we should be on our way then."

"Agreed, let's go." Clair takes the small bag, and walks toward the exit.

"Does anyone want one or more of these items? Else I'll just hold on to them."

"Since I'll be doing a good deal of scouting, I'd like to get the elixirs of hiding, if that's possible."

Boram shrugs as he looks over the scrolls. "I can't decipher these, keep them." He grabs his bow and stands ready, waiting for the others.

Garret nods to Auric.

"I'd like to accompany you on any scouting ventures if you don't mind? I promise you'll find my company beneficial."

The halfling smiles as he replies to their commanders.

"We'll get this done in no time."

The Heidmarch couple supplies you with horses, ponies and a groom to take care of them while you are on your mission. You have a relaxed journey by horse to the vicinity of the keep and make camp. The next day you walk the last few miles through the forest. You approach the keep from the south and it is midday.

The forest thins out ahead, revealing a wide river valley cleared of trees. The path descends for a quarter mile to a single stone bridge that spans the river, and then continues up a small hill. Atop this barren hill sits a small, two-story fort surrounded by a thick, partially collapsed outer wall. This must be Fangwood Keep!

"Why, of course friend Garret. I'd like that very much. Shall we split the elixirs? We can take one each."

Once he and his companions get closer to Fangwood Keep, Auric opens his eyes wide and seems to adopt a wary attitude towards his surroundings.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Knowledge (geography): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

He whispers to his companions as he gets to cover and motions them to do the same. "Watch out! There are multiple humanoids on the ramparts, and some more at the break in the outer wall. How shall we deal with them?"

To get the situation clear:

You are at the edge of the forest, a quarter mile from the river that flows between you and the keep. There is a bridge across the river. From the bridge it is another 200 feet to the keep. There is no cover between you and the keep. On the keeps western, northern and eastern sides the forest has been cleared to some 150 feet. Anyone on the upper ramparts can easily see over the outer wall.

Clair hands one potion over to Auric, and one to Garret. "Here you go."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"Let's first observe if there's a pattern in the way the guards move," Clair suggests. "If we figure out when certain parts of the wall are unmanned, we can climb up during those moments."

"When we approach we shouldn't use light. This means those of us with darkvision... Uhm, I believe that's just one person... Well, she has to guide the rest to the wall."

"What about the secret entrances to the north? Should we skirt the perimeter to locate them?"

I would suggest we surveil until dark and then approach from the north and try to find the secret entrances. I can guide you all and should be able to see the markings even in the dark. Once we are inside we can use what illumination they provide for our use.

Boram interjects. "We should keep within the forest line and make our way to the north, keeping out of sight as much as possible. Once there, we look for the entrances within the forest itself. After all, it's possible that tunnels extend there from within the keep." He looks briefly at the others, then continues, "If we do not find an entrance by nightfall, then Yakima can attempt to find one on the wall itself."

While you are discussing what to do you see two humanoids exit the outer walls of the keep. Due to the distance you have no idea whether they are human, elf, half orc or something else. All you can see is that they are medium sized humanoids. They are walking towards the bridge.

I will use by the "rule of 3 / 24H" for your approach.

Garret nods in agreement with Boram.

"I agree we should take the route from the north and locate the secret passage. We don't want to launch an assualt on a keep if we can avoid it. I suggest we skirt the forest to the north and search for the entrances, which I'm happy to take point on."

"A sound choice, let's do that. "

-Posted with Wayfinder

How exactly are you going to approach the keep from the north? There is a river between you and the keep. I also would like to know if you circle to the west or to the east. Let me know if you want to wait for darkness until you move.

The patrol has reached the bridge and now moves west along the river's northern bank.

I think we should stay here until the cover of dark. Take the opportunity to see how they run their patrols and the like. We can then move around in the direction that their patrols run.

Is there a safer way to cross upriver or downriver, by chance?
Knowledge (geography): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Oops, sorry - it seems I had already rolled that one and failed! I didn't realize it was about that.

Never mind, I forgot you rolled (and failed) earlier.

Auric can't remember if there's any easy crossing nearby.

The patrol moves along the riverbank to the west until you can't see it anymore. Half an hour later a similar patrol of two people exit the woods on the eastern side of the keep, also along the riverbank.

That patrol walks along the riverbank until it reaches the bridge, turns to the north and enters the keep again.

Approximately an hour and a half later the guards at the breach in the outer wall are relieved from duty as are the people on the ramparts.

A further two hours pass, without anything noteworthy happening. Then a patrol of two people again exits the keep, again going to the west along the riverbank. Half an hour later a similar patrol again comes to the keep from the east.

One and a half hour later you see another change of the guard and after that it slowly darkens. You can see some lights from the inside of the keep, there is no light on the ramparts or at the breach in the outer wall.

It is now dusk and approximately 7 PM or 19:00.

"We should at least wait until the patrol's back at the fort," Clair says as she observes the pattern.

"The best time to approach the fort is probably before a shift ends: We don't want to approach the fort while both the old and new shifts are present, but if we wait till the new shift's installed we'll be dealing with 'fresh' eyes instead of tired eyes. Get what I mean?"

"How long do you think it takes to approach the fort from a covered positioned at the north? I suggest we find cover as close to the northern wall as soon as we can, wait till it's dark, and approach about... half an hour prior to the shift in guards? Can we get to the wall and search for the secret entrance during that time?"

did the patrols cross the bridge and circle the keep on "our" side of the bridge?

You are on the south side of the river and the patrols stayed on the north side

Garret scratches his hairless chin in thought, before nodding in agreement with himself.

"Perhaps Auric and I should sneak north, locate the secret tunnels and then come back to you with their location?"

Clair nods at Garret's words. "If you think you're capable of doing that without being detected, then I will also trust your abilities."

Why don't I go with the two of you? I am pretty quiet and can see in the dark. Let us save the potions of hiding for the less subtle of our cohort.

Giving the others chance to prepare, Garret begins to sneak off, waiting for the guards to cross the bridge again so he doesn't risk running into them.

Stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (5) + 15 = 20

The halfling draws his magical longbow as he moves off, just in case.

Please give me a departure time and a plan what you do once you cross the bridge (assuming you will cross the bridge). From your observations you have deduced the following

I propose we three stealthy ones head out after the first night patrol re-enters the keep. Then we have about 3 hours before the next patrol to find the entries and get people through them.

Auric nods in agreement.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Ok it looks like Auric, Garret and I will carefully cross the bridge and then skirt the river around to the west until we reach the northern side and then start looking for the entrances.

stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Using that timeframe, I suggest leaving at 22.40 then. Cross the bridge and move to the north of the keep and start looking for the secret access points.

"Good luck!"

Clair watches the three who leave for as long as she can. She also tries to keep an eye out for the guards, to see if the observed pattern stays the same.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Boram waits patiently - well, more or less patiently, anyway - for the others to return, keeping an ear out for any signs of discovery.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Auric, Garret and Yakima slowly make their way to the bridge, careful not to make any noice. They cross the bridge without problem and then immediately turn left. Walking just in the forest they make their way to the northern side of the keep. Auric and Garret are very happy that Yakima is guiding them, without her darkvision they would have some problems navigating through the undergrowth.

The scouting party makes their way to the northern side of the outer walls. On the approach Yakima notices that there are no ramparts on this side of the keep. Garret, Yakima and Auric start searching for a stone with four interlocking circles and find that after searching for a while.

The trio prods in the ground next to the stone and finds a hidden trapdoor!

Almost one hour has passed, so it is now approximately 23:30

Garret nods at Yakima.

"Can you go retrieve the others? Your night vision will serve you better and if we're quick we can get them here before the next patrol."

Assuming his fellow Pathfinder agrees, Garret remains on high alert, watching the area for any potential movement.