Hilmir Enters The Wood

Korban shrugs after Dreli's comment, and uses the shovel to make a small hole in the ground. They put their fingers in and after a moment come up with a handful of grubs and worms.

Dropping the findings onto the stone, Korban utters a few words under their breath and crushes the grubs beneath their feet. The final stone activates with a bright glow.

Just then, a voice from the trees above says "It’s a shame, the alternatives would have been more fun to watch" and you hear laughter echo through the woods and fade away as the trees shift back to normal, no longer a frightening presence.

Looking around, the path you were walking on is visible once again.

The rest of your trip back to Elara and Dani goes very smoothly. Before Dreli and Hilmir left, they were given instructions on how to find some rendezvous points the pair of them use when they get separated. After some drawing in the dirt, Korban was able to guide you back a full two days ahead of the deadline.

Elara and Dani were remarkably impressed by your early return, and saw this as a sign that the upcoming mission would be a successful one. A few introductions and a hearty meal later, Dani gives Korban directions on how to get to the temple ruins. Now that the "where" has been established, it is time for the group of you to come up with the "how".

You've brought Korban back to Elara and Dani, and now is it time to plan the expedition to the temple ruins. It is on the other side of the valley, and the path is regularly patrolled by members of The Order. Based on preliminary observations very few of them actually go into the Temple, so what you need right now is some kind of plan that will allow you to get in and out without being noticed.

In each of your next posts, include some idea or strategy that will help the group of you get in and out without running into any of the Robes. You're welcome to be creative with this, and can ask Korban, Elara, or Dani for whatever sort of assistance you'd like (some kind of distraction, building a trap of sorts, acquiring disguises, etc). Certain things may require rolls, but nothing is "off the table" as long as it's not impossible.

When Hilmir mentions stealth, Korban takes an exquisite bracelet out of their bag and places it upon their wrist. They then utter a command word and vanish before your eyes.

A couple minutes later, Korban re-appears on the other side of the site. They then point to Hilmir and Dreli, hold up three fingers, and point to the bracelet again with a big smile.

After a bit of discussion it seems like everyone is mostly in agreement. Dani wishes you all the best, but says that only Elara will be able to join for the excursion. "I need to stay in these parts for now, but Elara knows how to get there and will be more than capable of setting up some diversions and staying lookout."

As discussed, the plan is for Hilmir, Dreli, Elara, and Korban to head to the ruins (about two days travel). Elara will setup some fires and use luminescent plants to attract the attention of any Robes guarding the ruins, while Korban uses their Invisibility bracelet on the rest of you allowing you to sneak into the entrance. Elara will stay in the area for a full day, after which she will assume you all captured.

The first day's travel goes well, Elara and Korban get along quite well exchanging knowledge about plants in the area. You all find a good spot for camp and split the evening into four watches.

Roll a DEX and WIL save each, to see how your individual watch goes.

During Hilmir's watch, he hears some movement in the trees that he instantly recognized as those monkey creatures from earlier. Knowing their tactics now and how they prefer to sneak up on people, he doesn't let the noise sway him and looks around evenly. He isn't quite fast enough to make them out, but his method was successful at keeping them away. Unable to find and easy opening, they skitter off to find an easier target.

During Dreli's watch, no creatures get near but she hears some hooting in the distance. She's not sure exactly how far away but it never seemed to be getting closer.
Other than that, the night is uneventful. However half-way through the next day, the group will be entering the area of the woods that the Order patrols.

To determine whether or not you encounter any patrols, we'll use a "Die of Fate" from the book. Contrary to saves, it's 1d6 with 4+ indicating good luck and 3 or under indicating bad luck.

The group gets through the day of travel avoiding any of the Robes. It seems that Korban's skills as a guide are truly something impressive.

This is your last chance to make any changes to the plan as previously described, if there are none then roll a DEX save each.

Everyone setup in their positions, Elara sets things off by setting off a series of distractions to attract the attention of the Order members in the area.