Mountains west of Northgate
Winter 41
Ethan
Ethan looks around at the small camp site, a few hours away from the group’s objective. There is a sense of anticipation that stirs in each of them. Four weeks of grueling travel – through tight passages, across deadly chasms and over mountain peaks, each step pressing against rocks and ice and snow, and each day filled with the ever-present dangers of cutting winds and bitter cold – to arrive at these allegedly ancient ruins, all in hopes of preventing any potential discovery from finding its way back into the hands of their enemy.
And still the hardest part was yet to come.
“Ok, so we’ll do a little roundtable here to see where we are and how we want to proceed. A few hours from here is the big ‘X’ on the map we’ve been chasing; it’s a camp and excavation site. We haven’t gotten too close, but from a distance we would estimate there to be about 30 men. 10 of them appear to be armed mercenaries with spears, axes, and short bows. The other 20 are more lightly armed and seem to be focused on the excavation of the site. All of them appear to be Digsmen – at least they’re all wearing Digsmen uniforms.
“So, the good news is we beat the Swans here… assuming they are coming to investigate this sight for themselves. Also assuming they haven’t somehow managed to come and go before we arrived, but that seems unlikely.
“Obviously, we are all high in the heart of this mountain range but this site in particular is low compared to the surrounding peaks. It’s in the valley where three surrounding mountains meet. The camp and its equipment directly surrounds the site itself, which seems to be something of a natural sink hole exposed by geological activity.
“We observed tents and campfires along with wooden framework for pulleys and rigging, and men coming and going from the excavation which leads down until the earth. They are using a rope and pulley system to bring people up and down, but it looks like we could repel or climb if we wanted to. There are a few people who seem to in charge on some level, but it’s hard to establish a hierarchy from a distance.”
He looks around at the small, audience huddled around a makeshift map that Sav was able to create.
“And that’s about it. We have 30 or so hardy men who managed to survive everything we went through… but likely without the use of any magic. They’re not Swan Soldiers, just armed civilians looking to protect themselves and their business. 30 men who we have no reason to kill, but are unlikely to feel the same way about us if we decide to stroll up and start throwing magic around.
“So, brainstorm a little, think of how what we need and different ways we can try to get it. Then we’ll figure out what we are going to do.”
Astarael
“So, I have some ideas on how I think it would be best to approach this situation. The nature of the set up of the camp below, and the group of people who have control of the ruins presents some specific challenges.
“Our ultimate goal, as I understand it, is to get access to this ruin, assess what’s there, take anything of value that we can, and destroy anything we can’t take that may be connected to magic. We don’t want anything that could give the Inquisition more power to potentially end up in their hands. If there is such a thing here, I have no doubt they will stop at nothing to gain control of it.
“The first order of business is getting in.
“This group encamped outside the ruins has spent a long time together, and is likely to be familiar with most members. We do have a few uniforms available to us, and some of our party can also make themselves appear to be in uniform through magic. The problem is, new people can’t easily just appear. They likely know that they lost some uniforms along the way, in the spider infested ravine. So, we can’t casually don them and say that we’ve been there the whole time, or that we’re additional support sent to aid them. Even if we do somehow convince them we’re part of the company, it’s no guarantee we will gain the access we need to the ruin, and we could be found out at any time.
“Similarly, if we try to masquerade as just another random group of people who have stumbled upon this, be it we’re hunters, travelers, or other fortune seekers, we’re going to be met with some suspicion, and likely turned away. Whatever this is they have found is of great value to them, and they are obviously ready and willing to protect it.
“This leaves us with the stealth option. What I think we need to learn next is when the fewest people will be present at the ruin itself. I think perhaps this can be achieved with more observation from a distance, but, we do have a number of us who can become invisible for a time. This may be the safest bet to try and get closer, get more information, and eventually get into the ruin itself. It’s not a foolproof thing, though, so we need to come up with some contingency plans if the invisibility fails along the way.
“Once we’ve determined when is the best time to infiltrate the ruins, we will need to have a plan as to how. The narrow approach, and above entryway to the ruins makes things very difficult, both in gaining access, and in removing items. It will also make it easier for them to trap us, if we’re caught. As far as we know, there’s only one way in and out.
“I think a key element to the success of this is keeping the group that goes in small. The more of us there are, the harder it is to avoid detection, and the more likely that something could go wrong. Keeping in mind that those guarding this place are not soldiers, plan A should be to incapacitate anyone in our way, as quickly and quietly as possible, so they can’t bring attention to us. Fighting draws attention. At least a few members of the group going in should be people who can do magic that aids in this purpose. It’s unlikely there won’t be at least a few people on guard at all times.
“To enter the ruins themselves, perhaps we can repel down, or jump using Sav’s magic, while invisible. Hopefully we’ve been undetected, and this will give us ample time to gather what we can, learn what we can. With some luck, anything we will want to take will be small, but if it’s not, we may need to consider that we will need the pulley system to get out, unless one of you can magically transport items.
“It’s also likely that we will need to destroy some or all of what we find. This can potentially be dangerous and loud. I have no idea how we might go about doing such a thing, should we need to- and whatever it is, ideally it will be something we can make happen at the last moment- as we’re already on our way out, away from danger of being discovered, or crushed by collapsing rubble. I’m hoping that one of you has some ideas on that, because I don’t think my thunder magic is going to be useful for destroying rocks.
“Those not going into the ruin also have an important role to play. We need to scope out 1-2 locations where people can be a lookout. I believe some of you may be able to use magic to send a message. Having an early warning that there may be trouble headed our way, before they get to the entrance to the ruin, will hopefully give that group inside a better chance of not becoming trapped.
“If the worst case scenario happens, those on watch will be able to summon the rest of the group, and provide aid themselves from the outside. This will divide the attention/attacks of any guards, and give those inside a better chance to get out.
“If things go bad, the geography of the area also makes this a bit of a choke point. It might be wise to pre-determine a meeting area some distance from the camp itself, in case we get separated by pursuing Digsmen members, and have an idea of which of the mountain passes are most viable for travel, so no one gets trapped trying to flee.
“What do you all think? Anyone have any specific skills or magic that can help with these tasks?
Ethan
“Well… if we can take our time on this one (and assuming Vanja’s willing), Vanja and I could use her magic to return to Northgate tonight. Once back, I can use some of our loot to pay for a spyglass. They’re rare - and expensive - but there’s a glassmaker in town who specializes in them. Most of his work is custom but he usually has a couple on-hand for display. If we picked that up, we could use it to get more info from a distance - a lot less risk of them discovering us.
“The trade off is time. One day there, plus one more day to observe them from afar. I think we have the time to spare, but while I’m back in the city, I can try to learn if we should expect any Swans or extra Digsmen to be coming.”
Vanja
Vanja shrugs, “Sure. I can do that. I won’t be able to get us directly into the city, though, and we’d have to wait overnight there. I can only follow the river so often. Even so, we can be there and back within a hand of days.”
Ethan
“Oh! You can’t get us inside the city?! Hm… that changes things…”
Vanja
“I’ve tried it. Not to Northgate, but to go South. The closest I end up is about three days from the gate. It’s not impossible, but it wouldn’t be as quick a journey as we seem to need.”
Ethan
“Mmmm… Still helpful but yeah, it’s not going to work for us right now.”
Vanja
Vanja thinks for a moment, “A spyglass is just…curved glass, right? For far-seeing?”
At this, Vanja pulls a crystal orb, the size of her fist, from her pack. A small crack spiderwebs through the center, like the slitted pupil of an eye.
“I had Sav make this for me, from a piece of the crystal spider, the one that nearly killed me. I’ve been using it to catch the riverlight,” she turns it, and there’s a flash of green light, just for an instant, in the glass ball, “And when the light is right, I can far-see with it. Beyond the edges of camp, as if looking down.
“It never works for very long, though, but it might be helpful.”
Astarael
“Great. Hopefully that will allow us to safely get some more information on what’s going on in the camp itself. In the meantime, some of us should try to scope out the best ways in and out of the area.
“Next we will need some ideas for the group going in invisibly. One of the issues is that you can’t tell where the others are, and it’s not safe to talk. Sav, Talith and I had a system with symbols drawn on the ground by the person leading, which indicated to stop or proceed. It’s not totally inconspicuous, and may not work as well in this setting, as we used it inside the tunnels under Northgate, but I’m not sure what other methods we will have for keeping track of each other or communicating. I think it would also be a good idea to have a predetermined order for us to descend down the ropes, and a way to silently signal the next person to proceed. Thoughts?”
Bax
Bax perks up hearing the discussion from the group, and stops dragging his finger through the snow drawing amateur designs of snowmen and what appears to be a yeti. He looks over toward the direction of the Digsmen campsite and swears he can smell smoke coming from that way.
Without looking back towards his friends he speaks up, “I think invisibility is a bad idea. Unless we want to wait until a heavy fog or snowstorm. We’ll still leave tracks, and if found, that could possibly alert their group to ‘witches.’
“Sneaking in general will prove to be damn near difficult cuz I think no matter what we’ll end up leaving traces of ourselves…
“As much as I would just like to approach them openly, Astarael is right. They won’t just welcome any random group of people and that could possibly result in a battle and I don’t want to have to kill anyone if we can avoid it.”
He turns back to his friends after a moment and clasps both hands together against his forehead. “We can’t approach openly, sneaking could be more dangerous, and disguising ourselves as other Digsmen members is sure to get us killed…”
Bax pauses briefly before his head jolts upright. “Hey some of you can change your appearance right? And we still have some Silverrun uniforms? What if the ones who can change their looks use magic to look like high level Swans? And the others can dress as Silverrun guards.
“We could claim to be an advance Swan team that contracted some Silverrun guards to guide us to these ruins. The Digsmen group wouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge Swans even if they didn’t trust em would they?”
Ethan
“I think if seven or eight of us showed up with really convincing Swan disguises we might be able to convince them. But two or three mixed with Silverrun guards sounds suspicious to me. Something about that number and mix seems off…
“What if we tried something along the same lines though? What if two or three of us showed up with a different story?
“We’re the last survivors of a private expedition funded by the Observatory. Sav could pose as a scientist, I’d be a merc who was hired to escort them. The story is that the scientists caught wind of the find and approached the Digsmen. They paid 200g for a map, plus offered another 300g for letting their scientists study the artifacts.
“The story is plausible. The motivations make sense - both for us to be there, and for the Digsmen to allow us to examine the artifacts. The group is basically getting paid extra to allow scientists to study what they find before they bring it back to the city to sell it!”
Vanja
Vanja laughs a little, “I feel like I had this idea myself…but it wasn’t feasible? That the Digsmen were unlikely to want to share ‘their’ goldmine, as it were?”
Ethan
“That’s why we’re offering to pay them. They’re not sharing - we’re renting something from them.
“To be clear, we don’t actually have to pay these men. The payment - the story goes - was arranged with their bosses back in Northgate. Basically half up front for the map, and another half once the scientist return and confirm that they were allowed to study the artifacts and dig site.”
Astarael
“Respectfully, to all of you, I disagree. Going the route of disguise and convincing those in control of the site we should be allowed in is far more reckless than sneaking in invisibly.
“For starters, it’s a more complex plan that involves more variables we can’t control. If we are indeed someone who came from Northgate and paid to get access to this place, we would have been given certain information from the company—like who is in charge for us to speak to—that we don’t have. There would also likely be official documents showing that a transaction or agreement occurred. The reality is that we just don’t know enough about the inner workings of this organization to be reasonably convincing.
“The Digsmen also likely have their own scientists, and others who will insist on not leaving some strangers alone in the ruins, for fear we could steal something, or destroy an item of value. Remember, there are 30 people here, all whom have taken a big risk, with the idea that there is a big reward. Why should they want to let anyone else get in on that before they fully know the value of what they have? Won’t that hurt the market value of their find? Exclusivity sells well to high end collectors. Having knowledge no one else has is it’s own commodity.
“It’s a little better of an option to pretend to be high ranking Swans, or even an Inquisitor, but we also don’t have enough manpower here to convince them that we are here to take control or gain access to the site. This is still highly risky, and requires some of us to have enough knowledge of the training and operations of the Swans to be convincing to this group, who likely has had dealings with them before.”
Astarael trails off and ponders this for a moment more.
“It may be possible to claim that we lost a number of our group to a monster attack along the way. But it’s still a big risk, and I don’t favor this plan over sneaking in invisibly.”
Ethan
“Ok, at least we have at least three basic ideas: approach unseen (stealth), approach as Swans/guards, or approach as Observatory Scientist. Three different options to choose from.
“Any more ideas to throw onto the pyre before we shift through and pick one…?”
Vanja
“It seems like Sav is pretty key to all three of these options… what do you think, Sav?”
Sav
Sav, as usual, has been listening silently, curled up in a crouch, arms across her knees and chin resting on her arms. As she’s asked her opinion, she twitches in surprise, the broken power source for Nurie’te slipping from her fingers. She grabs at it before it rolls away too far and hastily tucks it back under her cloak.
“I dinnae like the idea of strollin’ up and talkin to the diggers, own faces or no,” she says bluntly. “Too many stories to keep straight and details to make up, no reason for ‘em to believe us, an’ if they don’t we’re down to fightin’ them all in the heart of their camp wi’ everyone knowin we’re there. I’m for sneakin’ in.
“I’d say to stay a day or two, watchin’ their routines an figurin’ out how their days go. Then a few of us slip in at the slow point of the night. Either the old-fashioned way, or I spell a couple folk to fly an’ they carry the rest. Preferably invisibly, or if we wait until a snow storm or a fog rolls in. Or we drop from high up and flash by too slippy-quick t see, whilst I pad the landing so no one dies. The sound might be an issue, though. But Bax said once he has some way of paddin’ sound so’s folk can move more quietlike.”
She shrugs. “That said, there’s the point too that they may’ve found sommat already, so their camp may be worth investigatin’ as well. But that sorta thing can be more easily discovered by one or two folks doing the sneaky. If they do have sommat worth takin’, an it can’t be lifted by the one doin’ the investigatin, that could be a reason to go walkin and talkin.”
Ethan
As they speak, Ethan studies the common brass keys the party pulled from the Digsmen wreckage a few days earlier, running his fingers over the pattern one last time, attempting to familiarize himself with the three companion locks the keys were made for.
“I don’t know what role I’m playing yet, but I think it’s safe to say you’re going to be one pair of the boots on the front line for this one. These keys seem common enough - maybe for a chest, or door, or something. Still, best that you hang on to them for now.” He hands three brass keys to Sav.
“I guess one last thing - let’s have everyone help to build a little ‘snow house’ here for those who are not going. This way if you guys get held up (for whatever reason), those of us not around Sav can still have a safe place to spend the day/night tomorrow without fear of freezing to death. Sav can help to make whatever we build semi-permanent by setting up her magic, tiny hut around the structure; after the snow warms up a little, it’ll freeze back hard when she drops the spell.”
Vanja
“I’ll take the lead on that,” Vanja laughs, “We can make a domehouse. Wouldn’t want you southerners to freeze to death…”
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