Chapter 5: Through the Moon Pass Gorge

Her arms crossed lightly over her chest, Nerea wanders over, frowning thoughtfully. "A demon centipede is no joke... When you escaped, how many were left? Did their leaders leave after the initial assault seemed to be well in hand? I should be glad to help you, but I would rather not run in blind."

Kardalis' eyes widen more and more as the moon elf explains the circumstances.
To no one in particular he complains "I hope no one here honestly thinks that this bunch of layabouts can take out an entire orc horde run by a damned demon-caller AND an undead horde."

"That's why we're asking about the circumstances first," Nerea replies, flashing Kardalis a quick smile. To Doedance, she insists, "I'm afraid we'll need to gain a better sense of the danger that awaits us before we agree."

The moon elf suppresses a smirk at the serious half-elf with her arms crossed talking about demon centipedes like they are a regular occurrence to her..

Myrdin Doedance: "It was in the middle of the night and I was frantic from the battle and from being captured, so I'm not exactly sure. I would guess ten orcs fell. Plenty more undead. But the Argent Legionnaires suffered the greatest casualties... And though I would agree that the numerical odds are stacked against us, orcish warriors are poor combatants compared to experienced monster slayers, and how often hasn't a small group defeated a larger one? That to me is the very definition of heroics... That is something worth remembering!"

"Heroics are all well and good," says Avis, furrowing her brow, "but I'm more interested in living through the ordeal. This sounds like too much for our small group to handle all at once. We did just struggle against a single tiger. If we do this, we'll have to try to target small groups."

Cyrus lets out a beleaguered sigh.
"Leave the heroics to the bright-eyed. We have to be smart about it - and careful." He shakes his head and scrubs his chin, pondering aloud. "Simply going up against this jolly bunch is suicide. But it's not that the task is impossible. First, we really need to get closer to the place and gauge the situation. See how many orcs left, where they hold the prisoners, how lax the sentries are... it's doable. We can brew up some sorta distraction, like set their tents or supplies on fire, maybe even cut off part of their force, then we'll get a decent shot at getting to the prisoners. If we free them quickly enough, then the odds would be slightly better. Locating the chieftain and the sorc would also be good. Chop the head off, the rest will scatter in confusion. But we really got to have a closer look at this first. If I know my orcs well, they're hardly a disciplined bunch, but to underestimate them as warriors would be a folly."

Myrdin Doedance: "I understand your reluctance. It is quite reasonable in fact, but the Urgruems inhabit a rather large network of caverns, and I highly doubt we risk finding the entire tribe gathered in one..."

"I say we take a gander, then, to better gauge the situation," Nerea agrees. "But if we find this summoner, we must prioritize disabling her. From what I recall of my studies, the centipede is a powerful creature--significantly stronger than the small beasts I am capable of conjuring. She must be quite skilled. We should tread carefully."

Seeing that the party is indeed serious, Kardalis shrugs and puts himself into the discussion.
"My career has been entirely about dispatching the powerful and letting chaos reign among the underlings.
If I'm not mistaken the shaman is the glue in this situation. If we can remove them without causing a stir, we might be able to slaughter and or scare away the rest."

"Aye, sure. As much as I hate postponing the march to the Keep, it would suck to just leave the Argents for dead out there. I don't particularly like these scallywags, but they're one of ours still. Besides..." he takes a swig from a flask and winces a little, making its contents quite evident. "There might be a couple of our guys stuck in there, too. Say, Dandy-Dance, were there any rangers at the station when attacks happened? And Kardalis is right. Like I said, chop the head off, the rest will pretty much take care of itself."

Myrdin Doedance: "I would choose my words more carefully if I was you huntsman. I'm a patient sort, but you're asking for a pounding. I've just been through an excrusiating ordeal, seeing good men and women slain all around me, and myself nearly imprisoned by savage orcs, to meet a fate I dare not even think about. Some respect and common courtesy would be highly appreciated. Your lack of tact does not speak highly of your character, to put it plainly. And yes, there were rangers among the Argent Legionnaires..."

Avis laughs sharply. "Threatening the people you're asking for help, over so slight an offence? An interesting choice."

She rubs her chin in thought. "Still, the situation intrigues me. Perhaps one or two of us might scout the area, then withdraw somewhere safer for a chance to plan and rest. Rhenwald and his pup are still wounded, after all, and we want to be at our best for this assault. Granted, if we scout ahead of time, there is the risk of the scout being caught."

Amra Braegen: "Excuse my employees, Saer Doedance. I understand how the night you've just been through must have been excrusiating for you, but you must understand that we do not care to rush headlong into our deaths. The task you're asking of us sounds more than a bit dangerous, and we've just had our own quite harrowing scrab with a red tiger in the woods no longer ago than highsun today."

Nerea steps past Avis and Rhenwald to stand beside Myrdin Doedance. Her tone dry, she repeats, "A 'small offense'? With all due respect, you've barely bothered to remember the man's name and have treated this loss of life with a flippancy that's tactless at best. This may not have been the time to bring up your grievances, Cyrus."

Turning to Myrdin, she says, "Please excuse us, Mr. Doedance. We understand you've been through a terrible ordeal and have not meant to make light of it." Her gaze earnest, she continues, "My fellows and I merely want to ascertain how we might best help those still captive without, as Amra has succinctly summarized, rushing headlong to our deaths."

"Good to know," the ranger nods, approaching the elf, and proceeds in a calm manner. "And listen, Moonbeam or whatever your name is. I haven't seen you in battle yet, so don't ask me to throw any fish to a cat in a bag. We all know it's fucking dangerous out here, so what? Us warriors can bitch and moan about dank weather, bad food, dumb commanders, but I have yet to see one who would whine about how they nearly got killed. And I sure won't ask for no damn respect from anyone until I've proven myself. I care as much as you do for the guys out there, so that's exactly why I'm gonna go and scout the place to see if we can help them. And you," he turns towards Nerea, slightly fired up, "don't presume to tell me about loss of life. I lost more people to all this than you know. Now if we're done stepping on our own dicks out here, I guess we have a distance to go. Gotta cross the Rauvin to get a good vantage point." he turns towards Amra and nods in the general direction of the north. "Shall we?"

Myrdin Doedance: "The main reason I insist on urgent action is that the Urgruems are notorious for sacrificing captives to their dark orcish gods after victorious battles. They're likely to leave some of their captive alive for other, no less nefarious purposes, but if we want a chance at saving the captives they're likely to sacrifice, we should move as soon as possible... I know of one of the hidden entrances to the Urgruem Caverns as it is the one I was about to be taken into when I managed to escape - it is quite near in fact... What say you?"

"I'm getting somewhat tired of your combative and dismissive attitude, Rhenwald," Nerea says, frowning as he turns away. "Indeed, you're acting rather the hypocrite. I never suggested you didn't know anything about loss, nor did I make light of your losses. I merely pointed out that you were doing exactly that to Doedance, calling him 'Moonbeam' and 'Dandy-Dance' and bringing up some unknown grievances with the Argents when so many of them likely died during this attack. Was this really the time or the place? Whatever your grief, it doesn't give you a free pass to treat others like dirt. Please don't expect me to put up with it."

"Only thing I expect of you is to do your job and do it well." Rhenwald replies, a grim look on his face. "We are warriors. Not daisies or dandelions or snowflakes. I don't care if you hate my guts or can't stand my face, I only need you to cover each and everyone's back when push comes to shove. Because I sure will. That's one thing all you spoiled kids need to understand."

He glares at Nerea intently for a couple more seconds, then simply starts walking past. "Anybody willing to go scout with me?"

Nerea sighs deeply, but seems otherwise unaffected. "For someone who tries to look at the bigger picture, you make an awful lot of assumptions about the people around you. But I digress. I'm willing to volunteer, but I'm almost certain someone else would be a better fit for this particular job."

Avis steps forward. She extends a hand, upon which her raven is perched. "If need be, Ikkri can help us scout the situation. I can't see through his eyes, but he can fly about and then tell us what he saw when he returns. Mind you, his intelligence is below average for a person, so I can't vouch for how detailed his description would be," Avis explains. "I can, at least, feel what he feels; fear, excitement, the like. You can choose to take the two of us or just him."

Amra Braegen: "Good idea Avis. Let Ikkri scout and see if he can find another entrance which the Urgruem orcs wouldn't be aware of anyone knowing... Finding such an entrance would give us more of an advantage, and every bit is needed if we are to take on a small tribe of orcs just the seven of us. If we can sneak past the majority of the orcs and eliminate the Cave Father and Cave Mother first, as both Rhenwald and Kardalis so wisely suggested, we'll stand a much better chance at succeeding with this highly hazardous undertaking..."

"I believe I might be well suited to attempting to get in quietly, after Ikkri does his reconnaisance"
With the talk of infiltration it seems as though a switch flips and he has put aside the frustration of the personality clashes, to focus on the necessary activity that is sure to follow.
"If I can get into whatever hole those two are inhabiting currently and every one else follows after I get behind them we might be able to dispatch them quickly"

"Good idea," Rhenwald nods at Avis. "I'd still take a look at the station though. Maybe I'll see something we could use. Kardalis, willing to go on a stroll along with me?"

Kardalis nods, "My pleasure"