Chapter 1, Day 3: Skull Gorge Bridge

Jorr leads the group down the dawn way towards the bridge. Warklegnaw lumbers along at the back of the group, aware that he is unlikely to proceed quietly and so keen to avoid drawing attention to the party. The ground has been rising for the last few miles, and finally the forest itself peters out. Warklegnaw remains at the edge of the forest, while you, following Jorr, press on another fifty meters to get a better vantage point. Ahead is a stretch of barren ground, about sixty feet wide, ending in a gorge. The moon reaches its peak in the sky and begins its descent as you near your destination. It's pale white light both illuminates and casts deep shadows, making the image of the gorge stretched out below both faintly visible, and deeply ominous.

Roughly a hundred feet wide at its narrowest point, the gorge drops away precipitously to a fast-rushing stream far below. The ancient Dawn Way crosses the cleft on a bridge of stone. Anchored at both ends to large stone towers with pentagonal roofs, the bridge seems sturdy despite its obvious age. It is, clearly, the only easy way to cross, since the gorge continues as far as the eye can see to the east and west.

Those without darkvision can only make out the tiny pricks of light from campfires glowing in what must be an encampment on the far side of the gorge, and the glow of torchlight from the tops of three of the four towers. It is likely archers are stationed there. Atop the fourth tower, the one in the northwest, is a large black silhouette.

Those with darkvision can make out a few more details, although from this distance it is difficult to discern much. Several figures are moving about on the bridge, and you can tell that there are hell hounds in the mix - those without night eyes might mistake their glowing eyes for torches. The creature atop the northwest tower is, clearly to you, a dragon. The shimmer of the moonlight on its scales suggests that it is either green or black, although without getting closer you cannot be sure.

"Hellhounds and a dragon," says Pawetha, deadpan. She remains lying on her stomach in the dirt, presenting as low a silhouette as possible. She sighs, "Welp, I'm out of ideas. Don't suppose anyone has got some secret magical doohickey-thing to wreck that bridge from here?"

I smile despite myself. Oh who am I kidding, I smile because I love a challenge, especially when they're just a bit suicidal! "Not afraid of taking apart the bridge brick by brick, are you?"

"I am, actually," mutters Pawetha, quietly to Xara. "Dragons are something in and of themselves, but hellhounds are just unnatural."

I snort derisively "Why do something the most difficult way possible when we have....other options?" I turn to the more magically inclined in our group "Do you imagine we could combine our energies somehow to remove the bridge from use?"

"Taking out a bridge doesn't quite take out a dragon though, does it?" I lament. "Still, I say we can handle a bridge. I can take care of some of those hellhounds. Keep 'me busy while you do your thing."

Pawetha jabs a finger at the towers. "And archers, probably more hobgoblins," she says. The ranger looks at the group, then to Xara and Jorr. "Maybe we scout and see just what we're dealing with, besides the obvious. It will also give the mages time to prepare something special." She tests the wind, wary of the hellhounds picking up their scents.

"I'm on it!" Without a second glance, I head in the direction of the bridge and try to get as much information about it as I can. Hell, I'll even check for traps and/or shiny things. I've got time to kill and I'm bored.

Pawetha exhales slowly, and calls up her training. She slowly scuttles off, half-crawling, half-stalking. The ranger is attentive to the terrain and her silhouette, and tries to use cover as much as possible.

As Xana and Pawetha creep along towards the bridge, the dragon suddenly raises its head. It peers out towards the forest, then scans along the intervening space that the two scouts are traversing. It is at that moment that Pawetha makes a daring sprint from a bit of tall grass towards a small tree and the dragon sees her. It spreads its wings and lets out a bellowing roar. Suddenly, those on the bridge spring to life. The archers in the towers grab their bows and the hell hounds converge on the front edge of the bridge as they prepare to defend themselves, and the bridge.

Combat Map

Everyone except Paws and Xana are 1 move action away from the first row of squares on the map. Warklegnaw is 2 move actions away, as he remained at the forest edge. Also, I want to try something new:

Players act first (in any order), you have Advantage on attacks against any creatures lower on the initiative order for the first round of combat only (this applies to monsters as well)

Initiative:
Zaris
Xara
Hobgoblin Captain
Corban
Rurik
Hobgoblins
Pawetha
Hell Hounds
Green Dragon
Kaiakas

Just as Zaris is about to say something about the importance of careful analyzation of a problem the roar of the dragon nearly knocks him off his feet. "Curse this!" he yells, not worried about being too loud given the circumstances. He quickly scuttles back into the forrest and tries to find enough cover to hide himself until he can figure out what he can do without getting himself killed.


OOC: You have GOT to be kidding me?!

I immediately step out of the shadows and wave towards the group on the bridge. "Greetings, friends! I mean you no harm! I hear you are looking for recruits! May I introduce myself? I am the great Xara, Queen of Thieves, the Silent Stalker!" I give a great bow and start walking towards the group with a smile on my face.

Pawetha tries to find cover from the archers in the tower and completes her journey to the small tree. She un-shoulders her bow and nocks an arrow, then trains it towards Xara. She readies herself for an attack if the rogue's deception doesn't work.

The archers in the frontmost towers aim at the approaching rogue, the hell hound she is walking towards tenses up and growls. The dragon swoops down, landing in the middle of the bridge and snorts, a thin swirl of green mist unfurls from its nostrils and hangs in the air. "Do you know who we are? Why should you belong with us?"

"By the gods, what is she doing?" Noting Xara's attempt to deceive a dragon, of all things. I want to help support my comrade. I gather my courage and join Paws as quietly as I can, readying my crossbow when into position.

"The question is, why wouldn't you want me to serve you? I know exactly who you are, and your plans. Tiamat's role. I want in. I can offer you so much more than your average bugbear."

OOC: Plan is to have everyone on the bridge so focused on me that they forget about my group and hopefully do not attack them because they can't stealth for shit. I'm doing this all to avoid a battle. My goal is also to get a read on this dragon to see what he/she wants me to say. Hell, I'd probably even join them if he accepts me. It couldn't hurt to get a little intel from the inside.

"This is madness!" Zaris whispers to himself while pulling out his wand but staying well hidden.

The dragon grins, showing off its razor teeth, "Prove your worth then. Bring me the one that was stalking towards the bridge with you. And the other, with the crossbow, that has failed to skulk his way to the bridge without being seen. They are certainly not here for support me, nor my allies, and so you shouldn't be troubled to disarm them, bind them and offer them up as a sacrifice. I am, after all, quite hungry."

Xara gets the feeling that the Dragon fancies itself much cleverer than her, but that it's also not certain of her true motives.

"No, it's true that they weren't here to support you. They fear power, unlike me. I am drawn to it. And since they fear me, they serve me whether they like it or not. So they will serve you too."

OOC: Using the force to tell him 'No, really, you don't want to eat my friends'