Ryonara

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

I don't really have anything to add for IC, so here's my stealth check: 15.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Nodding to Kyra, Parum felt that perhaps burning two spells before they even get inside of the cave was a bit much. Besides, silent image was a concentration spell, and there were other more important things that Parum might need her focus on. "Alright, just the feather fall then." The group moved around the outskirt of the camp to get above the cliffs. There were far less people in the camp now, which meant less people watching. What Parum wished there was also less of was sheet height between the cliff and the cave; she thought it might've been a sixty, maybe one-hundred foot drop. And while she couldn't be too certain of it's exact measurements, she was positive that this cliff they were about to jump off of was much higher. Too late to turn back now. Parum gulped. "Got to time it right. Get ready everyone. One... Two... Three!"

And then they jumped. They fell quickly, but not so quickly that Parum couldn't time her spell just right; once they were about fifty feet or so off the ground, she activated her spell and allowed all five of them to land on the ground safely. Their sudden arrival surely shocked the guards on watch though; they scrambled to get their weapons. Kyra went into the gave and sent an arrow into one of the sentries. Parum followed up by following after Kyra and targeting the same guard that she attacked. "It's too late for you, just die quietly." She mocked at the wounded guard, her words cutting deep into his thoughts.

Rolls

Vicious Mockery (Wisdom Save DC 13) = 4

♦ A New Era ♦ - A My Hero Academia RP

Yukari Yozakura

It's been some time since Yukari was discharged from the hospital. These past few days have been a total blur. Likely due to the sedatives. She received some surgery on her leg so she could walk again, but she would need to use crutches for a while. She had a chunk of her flesh missing from her leg now, and her rubbery body didn't make it any easier for the doctors to try and salvage her leg. Even now she could feel an odd imbalance with her movement. It didn't hurt, but because she was so used to a specific tempo in her movement, the missing weight threw off her balance by a lot. Still... Yukari couldn't give up. That was her first real fight against a villain. And while it wasn't great, she liked to think she had what it takes to do more. She just needed time to rest, and focus on other things for now. "Yes... Rest and focus...."

Neither things Yukari has been able to do at all. Try as she might, she's been having nightmares about that day. What she thought would have been a fun and exciting battle against criminals turned into such a disaster. Her opponent wasn't even fighting her; he was just playing around. Who knows what could have happened if Donny wasn't there to also take a beating. Despite being blind Yukari could see it all in her mind; the brutality, the cruelty, how vicious he was in tearing her apart. It was something she didn't think about when she signed up to be a hero; that darker part of reality where things don't have a happy ending. Where heroes loose, badly, and are humiliated for it. It made Yukari terrified of what would happen if she tries to fight again and finds herself against an opponent she can't beat. Ever since she came to Komei she has won nothing and lost everything. No, it went ever further than that. Ever since she left the circus all she's found was a little bit of hope and a lot more disappointment. She trained alongside Jett and his Uncle, and yet Yukari has failed to measure up at all. People can talk a lot of sentimental things about how a hero is about their heart and determination, but no one wants a hero who can't win. And Yukari... Has never won.

Dwelling on these thoughts Yukari didn't realize how close to the stairs she was and fell down. She tried to catch herself but the moment she hit the first staircase she had a vision of that man slamming her against the pavement and her body froze up. Before she could snap out of it she hit the stairs a second time, and a third, until eventually she was on the lower floor in a small heap. She wasn't hurt thanks to her quirk but what hurt her wasn't physical. She started to breath rapidly and shake her head violently. "No, no no no no..." She gripped her head and squeezed as hard as she could as if she could some how crush these nightmares out from her head. But even as she tried all she did was cause a bit of a scene as she struggled to her feet. When she tried to take a step she faulted thanks to her wound, and her crutches were still on the stair case.

"... Pathetic. And I'm suppose to be a hero..."

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

That is higher than I had thought. But if the guards are inside of the cave, than that would remove the need to set up illusionary guards to replace them. I think the quickest and safest route is for the ground to go above the cave entrance, make sure the coast is clear, before jumping off and Parum using her Feather Fall spell to ensure a safe landing.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

@Hekazu

Huh, that might be good then, we could rappel down just outside of the entrance and drop down onto the guards when they get out. As for a distraction, I'll have to figure something out.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

@Hekazu

If there shouldn't be any problems in doing so, Parum recommends that the group tries to get close to the entrance without going through the camp. Since the entrance is a cave, there should be a mountain or cliff it's attached to, so the party should move around the camp, onto the mountains, and try to get above the entrance.

I'm hoping they could get somewhere around 60 feet or so before they try and attack. Additionally, Parum would try to make sure the group won't be easily seen by someone who might be watching the entrance itself, hence the silent image. I suppose one way she could save on spell slots is if someone can tether a 50 foot rope near the drop off point, and then after dealing with the guards we could just rappel down the rope and drop the rest of the 10 feet. I know we have rope, whether or not we'll have anything to secure the rope to will be a problem.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Without any mounts, Parum had to hustle alongside everyone else to reach the camp. Fortunately without the looming threat of a hostage on the line, they were in no rush. Parum made sure to have Torus scout ahead utilizing his crow, and Parum made a mental note about obtaining a familiar for herself at some point as well; they were immensely useful. More so since Parum dreaded what they'd have to do to get inside of this camp; she imagined that the cultists would have sentries in the forest, horsemen ready to sally out at a moment's notice, and no doubt those damnable half-dragons on a roost just waiting for prey to come into sight. Which made Parum all the more surprised when it was in fact the complete opposite; the camp was almost abandoned. While Judgement was still able to spot a few humans guarding the cave, it was as if the whole horde had upped and left last night.

This both worried and pleased Parum. With far less people it would be much easier to sneak inside. But the fact so many were able to leave with almost little trouble... Cults, Parum could understand to be organized and move quickly since they're usually quite small, but a mixed bands of brigands, sell-swords, kobolds, and cultist moving with this much speed and organization? It just reminded Parum that they may be way in over their heads. But she wasn't going to give up now with this blessing available. Before the party moved any further she gathered them to a vantage point where they could see the camp and the cave entrance. She had a new idea. "Thank the gods, looks like most of the campers left. While I've no doubt there's more cultists inside, at least now we won't have to deal with a whole army of them. Our object is that entrance over there. Let's see if we can't get a bit closer to it from above. I can cast an illusion within the area that would look like the guards are still present for those who would observe, but those within shouldn't notice it. Within that moment we need to strike fast and furiously. We can drop down from the cliffs after I set my spell so that I can use feather fall to drop us down safely." Parum reaches into her pack and looks for the scroll case containing her maps. Among the objects was a ruler of sorts; it would be useful to measure the height of the cliff so Parum could better get an idea of how high they'd be and how quickly they'll need to act.

"One more thing; once we're inside don't drop your guard even for a moment. While we've dealt with cultists and their warriors for the most part, do not forget that kobolds make up a bulk of this horde too. The inside of a cave would be the perfect place for their strength to shine, meaning a lot of traps, tight corridors, and dark areas where even those of us who can see in the night won't have it easy. Underestimate no one."

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

If possible I'd like for Parum to work with @Gordian Nought Torus to scout the cultist camp using his crow, while also figuring out what everyone can do and come up with combos and such. I honestly don't really know what everyone is capable of beyond a general idea of their class, so knowing their fighting styles, abilities, and so forth will be helpful to ensure our team can get one over the bad guys.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Parum listened to everyone and tried to make sense of all of this. It was plain to see that this cult intended to summon the dragon queen. That much was clear when they first interrogated a cultist. Stealing valuables and amassing a hoard of treasure tends to be what dragons do, and of course for a cult dedicated to it's queen that's what they will do. Possibly as a means to summon her? Parum had no idea how this cult intended to go about summoning the dragons. Perhaps it had something to do with the nursery? Or perhaps... There was somewhere else they would summon her at? "Leosin, during your investigation, did you learn if this cult keeps any other camps or strongholds? The hatchery seems... New. Nothing but tents like an army camp, instead of a proper fortified place one would want to raise dragons. Perhaps they have a place they intend to summon the dragon queen, and intend to use the stolen treasure as a means to summon like an offering of some sort. After all, if the hatchery is too small to fit an adult dragon, I highly doubt they intend to use it as the staging grounds to summon the queen of dragons."

As for a plan to infiltrate the camp itself, Parum admittedly had little clue, but she had a few ideas. "I've no doubt that the camp will be on high alert now that we've made it known it can be infiltrated, so Kyra is right, trying that again won't work. But I think it's been established that the kobolds and human members of the cult do not get along; perhaps we can take advantage of that. The kobolds kept to their own camp and if I remember correctly, they aren't too functional during the day being subterranean creatures and all. So we need to move quickly and try to get around the camp to where the kobolds have set up. We can try to scale down quickly during the day, where there will be less guards watching the kobold side. Alternatively, we can go at night while everyone should be asleep aside from the night sentries, though I imagine they too will be more alert knowing of our previous intrusion. And if nothing else, the high ground will provide us an adapt vantage point to stage an infiltration." Parum looked to the others and frowned a bit. As a halfling, she was half their size, and barely fast enough to keep up with them at a full run.

"And perhaps we should try to get some mounts as well. I'm not sure if Greenest would have any horses for us, but if they could spare at least a small horse for myself, I won't be slowing you down."

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

As everyone gathered around Leosin to listen, Parum wondered how they were going to take down this cult of dragons. She needed to put aside her hysterical fear and focus on objectives and targets; while taking down the cult was the ultimate goal they needed to figure out how to go about doing it. Taking out the various leaders was a good starting point: Cyanwrath was a fearsome warrior but together Parum has no doubt that the party can eliminate him. Morndath was a cut above hot average cultist so she would need to be defeated as well. And of course, all those dragon’s that likely live in the cave... Parum tried not to think about that too hard.

Soon Leosin told the group what he knew, some which they knew already. They knew from the cultist that the camp protected a dragon hatchery. But hearing it from Leosin did give Parum another look at how insane the idea was; Parum can’t imagine dragons willingly sharing their eggs on their own accord. Parum might not know too much about dragons, but generally speaking even the lawful ones wouldn’t want to be part of a deranged breeding program, at least not unless they directly benefit from it. The idea that these dragons are all doing it for Tiamat...

”Focus Parum. One thing at a time.”

Leosin also told them something else that would be important: there was another half-Dragon aside from Cyanwrath. One called Rezmir. No doubt she handles things directly related to the hatchery while Morndath handled the mercenaries and cultists. A ther enemy they’ll have to eliminate. Seems like things were getting tougher and tougher.

”Have you heard or see any adult dragons while you were investigating? We saw an adult blue dragon attacking Greenest the first time we arrived. And how exactly did you find out about this? I don’t inagine you figured all of this out while you were tied to that post.”