3.3 Center of town

[harknail]

The heroes follow the distinguished, middle-aged human as he thanked them profusely for battling the monsters. He escorts the heroes to the Elkridge community hall where a map charts several drake attacks:
“The drakes you dispatched today were only the latest attacks in what has become a plague. Nobody knows why they arrived or from where they originate, but no pattern exists. If I can persuade you to look into this matter further, our entire village will be at your disposal. We live outside the attention of kingdoms and no longer possess the resources to fight this threat ourselves. For that reason alone, I ask you to play the role of champions, if only for a little while.”

[tag all except Dart]

[harknail]

Harknail replied, "I be here to help ye." After a pause he confessed, "But I know not how to to do more than fight them when they attack." Harknail looked to the others for help.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

I am a craftsman, I may be able to make fortifications given time and resources. I can make armor and weapons and i will ask little for them in return, yet your people will still need training. I ask the forge and armory if you have one be at my disposal. I am also am an alchemist so if you have any martial that would aid in there making it would be most helpful.
Joe i have the feats and the formulas in order to make them. I can make Alchemist's Fire, Tanglefoot Bag
Alchemist's Acid
rituals
Make Whole
Enchant Magic Item
Disenchant Magic Item
Brew Potion
Feats
Ritual Caster
Master Mixer
Master Crafter

[Rojito]

"Setting up traps would work best. They seem exceedingly simple creatures. Well setup traps could aid in protecting the town, even while we might be needed elsewhere, like this farm. We could also aid in training the townsfolk as needed if we are here long enough. But the true fix would be to find where they are coming from and fix whatever is causeing them to raid the town." Romra says quietly.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

Yes I would agree with that but take away one threat and be vulnerable to another. The defenses should in all likelihood hold long after I die and i don't plane that to be any time soon. I can help make the traps but I would need the children to agree not to ever go near them for their safety. I don't want them getting in trouble or danger of any kind because of them.

[at]

"Traps and fortifications might protect the town, but not the farmland or livestock. Unless you can construct ballistae I doubt the farmers would keep the beasts at bay for long"

[harricklomax]

Popol says, "I agree with Romra. The best solution would be to find the source of the corruption and destroy it. Observing the drakes or inquiring in other nearby settlements would seem the most obvious way to determine where they come from. However, if your concern is with the safety of the town, we should let the Shardmind construct his defenses first."

[harknail]

A young boy runs into the village out of breath. “My father is dead ... and the beast is still there!”

[Rojito]

"a single beast? Would one of you care to join me, this won't take long and the rest of you can finish planning or setting fortifacations" Romra says.

[harricklomax]

"I will go," Popol says. He looks at the boy and asks in passing. "The beast is a drake, yes? Like the dead ones outside?"

[at]

Barbatos turned to follow as well, there was little he could do at the village and the drakes had so far proven vulnerable to his magic.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

I am going too, if it attacks now barricades and walls i would make would take to long to finish to stop it properly and it would be a wast of time because they would not do what the would need to do given the situation. Me helping the two of you stop the beast would be more constructive use of my time for now..

[Rojito]

"I wonder of the prudence of leaveing the town defenceless. Perhaps it would be better if some stayed here, and maybe a few went with townsfolk to other outlying farms and brought villagers and as much livestock as possible here where we could better protect them. Atleast untill we have resolved the threat. It would be better than chaseing after every attack after they had happened." Romra says.

Trying to play out my character's high wisdom, forsight and planning for the future. Problem is that I myself dont really have it lol. If anyone outside of their characters can come up with good ideas but dont think their character would think of it let me know, my character is smarter than i am.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

your idea is not a bad one, If Blastishy had the time to make the walls he would do it but he knows right now time is not on his side. he is good at what he does given the time to do it. If we had a fast way to get to village to village then yes your idea would work fine, yet time is something you may have over seen. i would not call the unwise of what you have said in this situation. I will say all eggs in one basket does paint a target for bigger things to attack it like BIG drakes and that no wall would with stand that kind of beating.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

I think what we need to do is fortify the three or four. I would like the ones that have the most food and live stock so that they are big enough to feed hungry people. I would like them to be rather close to each but this may not be possible in how it looks on a map. yet if it is that way then have each of us at one, two at the ones that can get to most of them the fastest if need be. then get fast ways of getting to each so that we can help each other out in attacks. what this will do is spit them in a way that if one or two get attacked others can cover while other stay in case it is a diversion. but this may mean some characters will get all the fighting if people are ok with that. it is a good alliterative while still using your idea.

[Rojito]

The problem with that plan is it is playing very defensively. With that plan all our combatants are going to be defending these farms, completely unable to ty to get to the source of the problem. If we fortify one place, build the ballistas, or walls, or just simple barricades with the farmers and hunters to hold it as a team the group could go after the source. Of course the problem with my idea is the fact that its assumeing fixing the source will be a short timespan. the longer it takes the harder it will be for the "Single Defensive Point Plan" to hold. This will be "Plan A" now. Your plan will be "Plan B." Perhaps we should take these arguments into IC and discuss within the characters, and far more importantly, the farmers and townsfolk who would have to be abandoning their land or sharing their space with strangers.

[harknail]

Harknail replied, "I be going. I think ye all should go. It mayeth be but one drake, but mayhaps we learn more about them. And we must be going now, before the drake leaves."

With that Harknail followed the boy along with all others that wished to go. The boy lead the characters away from the few buildings that constituted the town center to a small cluster of cottages about a mile away. The cottages were boarded up but unscathed.

A warwing drake, equipped with a saddle and saddle bags, idly paws at a body on the ground. The distraught boy indicates that the man is his father. From a distance the body looks intact and uneaten.

[tag]

[namklim]

"I'll go with you Harknail. There is little I can do here to help the town prepare." Llewelyn then grabs his belongings to prepare to head out.

[nobu]

Tol

Looks around the group, then starts following Harknail. a warlock like me isn't much good for anything but killing things. hell i dont even have ritual caster!

"Correct me if im wrong, but that one looks like it is supposed to be a mount. i speak up when we see the indicated drake.

[harknail]

The drake has stopped pawing at the body and is now chasing a butterfly. It does not seem to have noticed the group.