Maria skates easily through the rest of the Entangle, and dashes for the cover of the bushes. Solsken is hot on her heels, only twenty feet behind her. If nothing else intervenes, you’ll catch her in two turns. If you cast a spell or do anything else but chase her, you’ll lose ground. If she casts, you’ll catch her next turn.
Harald struggles, but he’s still blinded, stunned, and trapped in the Entangle.
Giacomo sprints along the edge of the forest, following the edge of the woods and thereby moving much more quickly. Following him closely is Taye, on horseback. Zachary and Joseph are nearing the point where Maria entered the wood, with Aji moving along behind them, leading horses by their bridles with his left hand and his prisoner slung over his right shoulder.
I can, note, still cast [COLOR=“Blue”]detect magic on her, which I believe operates as a cone facing forward from whatever my present position is. Her invisibility then would still be detectable within the given range, for the duration of the spell.
I assume, as the druid that I am, that detecting moving foilage at that range would be fairly easy for me?
Which tracking spell? Faerie Fire? That’s not really a tracking spell; it prevents the invisibility potion she’s consumed from actually concealing her from you. You’re only twenty feet away; that’s really not that far for visual tracking. It’ll last another two minutes or so.
I’d grant you a bonus to tracking for moving foliage at that range, but mostly she’ll just be within sight range. This is not an especially dense forest at ground level, just too many low tree branches to ride a horse through it quickly.
Your falcon is speeding over the wood, trying to keep Maria in sight.
And, I should note, was one hell of a counter for the [color=blue]Invisibility I had planned. Damn PCs always screwing up my escape plan. Next I’ll have to add the Ruby Slippers of Escaping.[/color]
Solsken continues to try to run down Maria, and he’s gaining on her steadily. Just before he catches her, she reaches down into her robes and pulls out another vial. This one she dashes to the ground beneath her feet, where it shatters, spreading a thin, glossy liquid out over the forest floor. It’s slick, but Solsken keeps his footing nimbly and catches up to Maria. He swings his spear like a club, and deals a sharp blow to her legs. She stumbles but continues to sprint.
Harald has cleared his mind, but not his eyesight (he’s blinded but no longer stunned). He flexes his muscles and breaks the vines and grasses holding him easily.
The rest of the party has continued following the action. Giacomo and Taye are easily pacing the action in the forest that they can hear, and it’s moving toward them quickly. Joseph, Aji, and Zachary are further back, about forty feet behind Taye.
I’m going to stumble my way out of the Entangle zone, try not to run into any trees and carefully walk towards any commotion I might be hearing. Years of drunken walks back to my room should have prepared me for this !
If I don’t hear anything special, I’ll just lean against a tree and try to swear and curse my eyesight back.
Harald makes his way carefully through the Entangle, rubbing harshly at his eyes. He escapes to the edge of the trap and finally clears his vision with handfuls of grass. You’re back to normal.
Solsken takes another swipe at Maria, but misses. She bolts for the edge of the forest, steps out into the clear, and is immediately leveled by Giacomo, who clubs her square in the forehead with his sap. She’s out cold on the ground.
The rest of the party catches up. Umberto is struggling so wildly that Aji briefly needs both hands to restrain them.
“Well done, my friends, well done! Might I suggest we bind the Sorceress’ hands as well as gag and blindfold her? No sense taking chances until we are certain we can contain them both. I am certain Hawkins has so concoction to make them talkative. Or, there is always Taye. And fire.”
“Ah ! There you are ! Where were you all disappeared to ? Ah, got the bitch I see. Good, good. Who’s throwing fireworks NOW ?”
“Where I come from, we break their fingers. Can’t do the fiddly hand stuff any more, you see ? But I suppose we’d get in trouble if we were to lay a hand on the gentry… Well, even more hands, at any rate. I’ll get me rope and salami them both to a horse then, shall I ? I can already smell the feast our imminent wealth will buy us !”
I’ll make use of my Profession(sailor) skill to make good solid knots, taking 10 to be on the safe side.
“We don’t need to break their fingers, but we do need to immobilize them. Rope and thick cloth to secure their hands in a prayerful position should do it, my friend. We’ll just need to take care and check the bindings regularly to make sure they aren’t wiggling free. In fact, I know a little trick when it comes to that…”
Joseph will use Inspire Confidence to give a +2 on the knot tying.
No - we were on our second day of travel when we caught wind of the two, and then it took that entire day to catch up with them at the inn, which we’re about 30 minutes away from.
Quoth Hawkins, audibly, within earshot of the captives: “No, I know no brews that will cause people to talk. I fear I only know how to set people on fire, or burn them with caustics. Dear me. Dear me. I hope it will not come to that.”
Harald, with Joseph leaning over one shoulder and Giacomo helpfully giving advice over the other, ties Maria up tightly and double-checks Umberto’s knots as well. Both are quite tight.
How do you want to proceed? Interrogate them right here? Press on to Genoa?
shrug I don’t particularly care about the goings on of the pampered and the silk-wearin’ myself. I’ve learned a while ago that whatever happens and whoever is screwing whom at the moment, it’s always us who get to drown in the deluge of their shite. spit on the ground
But if you lot want to put the thumbscrews to 'em, sure, I won’t mind. Anyway, I got to get the rest of my kit. Be right back.
