Tales of Neutral Ground IC

[3SecondCultist]

Maugrim, with your coaxing, eventually comes out of the worst of his reverie and finds a seat, though you note that he always keeps his back to a wall and he still twitches occasionally. All the same, there is a freshness to him now, an energy that responds to the tension that hangs in the room. "Ah yes, well..." he stammers in a way no doubt intended to be authoritative when presented with the version of the plan that you've chosen to share with him, "yes that sounds like a good tactic! Sneak behind their lines in disguise, they will not know the better of it, excellent idea." He frowns ever so slightly when Kleris presents him with the amulet, running the item over his fingers and marveling at its craft, but otherwise is still and acquiesces as both Kett and Kleris begin the process of making a tactile disguise for him.

By the time the process is all finished, it's been the better part of an hour. The morning light coming through the glass panes has shifted, but the noises from outside remain the same: movement and shouting, the echoing screams a muted thing. Your mission stands before the door, his figure changed. His nose has been widened to be more squat, dye applied to his hair and thick extensions added, including a braid. Other wax prosthetics have been used to add ridges and extra features to his face, face paint and artificial dirt has been applied to darken his complexion, and finally hazel green contact lenses of glass color his eyes. It was also an easy enough thing to draw over his armor even further so that the Deneith sigil is completely unseen. The man that stands before you might be Raz's uncle, or perhaps an older looking cousin, but has nothing in common with Maugrim Nameless.

With your preparations made and route chosen, you open the door and strike out towards Thronehold Castle. The route you've chosen is a straight shot past several major intersections in the city and crosses two checkpoints, and the danger in the air tells you that for all of your forethought, this will not be an easy task. Summoning horses seems like a good plan to cut off time, and all of you now wait for Gryphon to complete the ritual to get steeds for you all to ride.

But a good plan, as they say, does not survive contact with the enemy. Or enemies, as it were.

They set towards you before the spell is finished. At least fifteen all told, a smaller permutation of a mob. Several of them have weapons - bows over their shoulders, spears and swords - but all of them are looking right at your group. Evidently, they were made aware of Maugrim's location during your time indoors, as there is no hesitation in their movements as they approach. They will be on you within a minute, unless you intervene immediately!

Spoiler: OOC

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So the disguises you've made have gotten you past your first obstacle! I'll tick that skill check as an automatic success with prior rolls, and with a magic item attuned that means that you won't need to worry about another obstacle later on. You have 1 success under your belt.

Now we have another obstacle for the skill challenge! Here we have interlopers, people who have presumably been tipped off somehow as to Maugrim's location during the hour you spent setting up your disguises. As with any skill challenge, it's up to you how you want to approach this obstacle: usually, you nominate one character to handle the skill check, using a skill that they're proficient in. For the purpose of this challenge, you cannot use the Help action beyond RP, and spells will work a little differently: casting times are a bit flexible, but certain spells will give you advantage on the check or let you auto-pass.

For instance, Gryphon could finish casting his first mount spell and give you an advantage on running away (since there would only be a single mount, not everyone would have access to it) if someone wants to go for an Athletics or Acrobatics check. Someone else could go for Survival to lose them in the streets, or someone could try Persuasion or Intimidation to scare them off. Whatever you do, remember that only one person can try the check, and once the skill is used, you cannot use it again.