----

>>> Well, I'm fairly certain Relos has the highest diplomacy if we want to talk. I can serve as the front line and the one who speaks to them about whatever the group agrees on. Btw no work today so i'll post tonight. I'm tempted not to since harassment from grugg is really fun
----

That's fair, I wasn't really looking at the skills though I should have been.

Mal isn't going to want to hide, at least not this time, although it is something I've put some skill points in.

So we're looking at Relos diplomacising with the enemy. A show of force could work - maybe we can intimidate them.

Here's a couple scenarios based on this discussion.
Theoretical encounter 1: Diplomacy, Intimidate and Prepate for Battle

~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~C~|E|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~TRM~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|S|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~


Theoretical Encounter 2: Diplomacy, Prepare for Battle (Minor Ambush)
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~C~|E|~M~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~TR~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|S|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~


Theoretical Encounter 3: Ambush with Isiah as bait.
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~C~|E|~M~~~~~~
~~~~~~ST~|i|~R~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~|..|~~~~~~~~

~ = Field
|..| = Road
E = Enemy
Other Letters = Characters by initial
Italics = Hidden


Edit: I missed Nimu's post, so what are some other ways to win here?
* We could try bribery, if the riders are looking for money we most likely already have more than poor Isiah.
* We could set up a tripline as part of the ambush - Mal and Cal could pull the rope taut to trip a horse and even the odds.
* We could set the field ablaze and tell the rider Isiah would rather burn his crops than let them fall into the hands of a stranger, then tell Isiah the rider burned the crops out of malice.
* We could determine that good is pretty subjective after all and join up with the riders.
* We could buy the rights to the farm ourselves, protect it once and live out our days as goat herders.

Anyone else think maybe there's a better plan than fighting these guys?

We just seem a little triggerhappy. Minus the triggers.

And the happy.

*evaporates*

Edit: I vote goat herding.

Hey. I'd rather not fight. But either way I'll be lurking on this one. Hostile bandits may not give us a choice. Besides, even if we do manage to persuade them tonight, who's to say they won't return when we're gone. It's a sticky situation.

It seems diplomancy shall be our preferred school of magic. Relos is best at that, so he's front row center it seems. Calopee is hiding off in the bushes. What of Tristan, Sehanine, and Mal?

I'd rather not fight as well. I think we can get better results another way.

If we go the diplomacy route then having Relos and Mal upfront makes sense. Relos can do the talking and Mal stand as apparent back up. The rest of us can hide, maybe? One thing to keep in mind, Relos and the desert riders might be like oil and water, diplomacy aside. If it's a game of subterfuge Sehanine and Tristan would be the better call for talking.

I rather like the idea of using the parley as a distraction to do something else. It would be very like a number of our characters to send the paladin forward to talk and then do something, less than honorable, without his knowing about it.

How do we all feel about sending Isiah to town?

I'm all for it.

Do you have anything in mind as far as subterfuge? Tristan could go undercover as Isiah, maybe Sehanine could pose as the farmer's wife. I don't know what this could accomplish but it is in line with the theme of deceit.

I think the desert riders already know Isiah, so not sure if a disguise would work.
Sehanine has Charm Person and Silent Image in her arsenal. Either might come in handy in this situation. Illusory rock (or bail of wheat) to hid behind? With us not knowing where they will be coming from, makes planning a bit of a challenge...

Could stay at the house, make the rider come to us. Provides good cover and plenty of hidey holes, plus we don't have to worry about them coming up behind us, because our back is to the wall.

Well, since we're kind of in a holding pattern, I'm going to append my post with Sehanine suggesting that Isiah and his family go to town. Assuming nobody else posts, I will do so towards the end of the day today. Just want to keep things moving a bit.

EDIT: Appended. I know this wasn't my idea in chat, but I just want to push us out of this stalemate we've got. If there are any objections I can remove that part of the post.

WHERE ARE YOU JOZAN

JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

Chosen one!

Posting tomorrow (friday) night whether Jozan has posted or not.

If anyone else is looking to get a post in before the update, that is the deadline.

finals over, hell week is done. posting now

I feel like I need some sort of time advancement before trodding on. It would be good to know what Isaiah is doing before continuing on. I guess I'll be waiting for Gruggles.