Immersive Ink

I'll need to hear a bit more detail about how the proposed ambush is meant to work.

Considering dungeon exploration turns are 10 minutes long, how far from the moathouse will the ambush be set? How will you hide yourselves? Who will be positioned where? How and when will you spring the trap? What weapons will you use (missiles, spells, melee?), and from what direction?

Of course, Wraislin could just sleep the moathouse garrison with his scroll...

Why don't we have Tass show himself and then run back toward the woods, where we all lie in wait? If we can peel off four of them, we can take them out with missile fire and then have the Sleep spell saved for storming the castle... err, moathouse.

We could even try to be bold and have Thanis and Witherun set up a flanking position to pepper their sortie with arrows once they hit the treeline and meet up with Garamon, Stern, et al.

We have to gage their reaction. If they chased after a noise what kind of response will it provoke for an unknown Hobbit wandering around in plain site. They might just sound the alarm and close the door.

I have no problem try to lead them off again but we would need to get pretty close to lead them into an ambush.

Tass gets a wicked grin "Great idea! I can get them chase me right off cliff if you really want me too. Why I have some special family insults that will really get them running. He hops up and down with excitement.

"Perhaps I can make a suggestion?" provides Wraislin, stepping past Tass as one might circumambulate the night soil of a wild animal.

"If required, I can call on the arcane arts to seal a portal in their holdfast, such that reinforcements will be unavoidably delayed," he says, making an effort to speak slowly so the fighting-types have a chance of following him.

"Alternatively, I can put a number of them into forced slumber, though this act I cannot repeat."

Goldwen ponders the situation, eyes glazed over in thought. Finally, she speaks, "If we could get past them all without a fight, that might be best! But how many guards total were there? Do you think you could ensnare all of them with your sleeping spell, Wraist? My concern with trying to draw some away is surely the remaining would hear the fighting and enforce the moat house before we ever get to it. I'm afraid we'd have a rather large fight on our hands..."

The company debates their options. Brows are thoughtfully furrowed and chins slowly scratched, yet no single course is clearly agreed.
The afternoon draws on... there may yet be a couple of hours of daylight before dusk. A light rain begins to patter the forest canopy once more...

If we have to vote, I vote ambush first, then rush the moathouse and drop the Sleep spell if we get in trouble. Always good in my book to divide and conquer a foe

If we debate this too long we will draw a wandering monster. If we agree on the Ambush plan lets just draw out the character placement and then state we sneak as close to the "target" as we can. Then cut Tass loose to start the fun off.

The only other thing that occurs to me is the wood gatherers. We could easily capture one and get more information, we could also pose as a small group of them to get our frontline closer (with some missile support before engagement from Thanis and Tass).

But whatever we are going to do we need to decide soon.

Thirdeded for sure. I think having the Sleep spell at the ready is a big plus.
Leeeeroy Jenkins!