(Blackhats) Bushwacking

[unlimited sink]

The Talking Mountain makes a good point. Lure them out, then take them, one by one as they cross the threshold. As he lays out his case, I give him another once-over. Looks slow, but thinks sharp. Admirable.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the walking Plant has a point. The hostage. Gotta be careful with her in the mix. It's not my style to worry about collateral damage. But then again, this isn't my show. And I'm just trying to fit in. So there.

Still, all of this planning is a bit...tortured. Too much thinking, not enough action. Time to cut to the chase.

"Ok, so we engineer a distraction then. Get them out of the tavern, and get ourselves in. Then go from there."

The hob's offer seems to be just the thing. I give the centipede a comradely nod in thanks.

"Maybe we get the townsfolk to stir up a ruckus outside. Draw them out. And use that as our opportunity. We can either use the door. Or I might could make one." Wouldn't be the first time I ripped my way through a wall.

With that, I walk over to a window and peek out at the Tavern, considering what we're working with.

[Nathan Griffin]

Finally, he thought the moment the Spectacular Centipede put forward her offer.

"Thank you, miss," he said, exhibiting the appearance of a courteous young man for all of a few seconds. "Good plan. Do I get to chew on some privateers now? I've been kinda getting stir crazy here."

The Ogre wasn't the only reckless one in this gang. The Beast was beginning to like him already — imagine that. No higher compliment that he could pay him, no sir.

[Cayce]

The tavern, a wooden building that looked oddly like a church with it's rising steeple, remained well lit and sealed tight. Brief movement on the bottom floor, and in the steeple flickered behind window glass, and a faint trail of boisterous laughter flowed out into the night...

[Lesingnon]

"We certainly appreciate any help that any of you are willing to give."

That was the danger of pushing people into a corner. They might cower for a while, but the basic reflex that everyone had was still fight or flight. If you stripped away the option of flight...they were going to lash out eventually. It was why rule for fear alone never lasted forever.

"So here's what I have for a plan so far. Anyone who's willing to help, save one or two, should make their way here. Slowly, one or two at a time, enter form the far side of this building from the bar. We can't let them know that something's up until it's too late for them to do anything else. Then we wait."

"If they leave on their own we make our move then. If they don't, we wait until nightfall. The one or two that didn't come here? They make enough of a commotion to draw the bastards out, then they get the hell out of dodge. I don't want anyone getting caught out on their own. Then the rest of us move on."

"I'll use my Contracts of Communion. I can sense all the air within 60 yards of me. So once I'm near the building I'll be able to sense teh layout, who's still inside, and where they are. Should be enough to let me figure out where the hostage is, where any remaining guards are, and how to get to them. We go straight in and secure the hostage, then take out whoever is left behind, then fortify the place as best we can before the rest get back. Honestly, I bet they've already done a bit of that themselves."

"And one more thing." He turned to look back to the hob that had brought Jimmy here. "Get the word out. Anyone who isn't willing to fight should be ready to get out of here. Turn doorways into hedge gates if you have to, just be ready. If things don't go well they'll be out for blood. And I don't want anyone innocent caught up in that."

"So...thoughts, suggestions?"

[Swami M]

"That sounds like a solid plan."

Alex looks out the window at the tavern.

"Do we know exactly how many entrances there are in that place? Any that we can't see from where we are? This being the Hedge and all, I wouldn't be surprised if that bar was like an old speakeasy, full of hidey holes and secret passages..."

[Malcolm Green]

"How about we try and shut down any major exits bar one. You know, block 'em with stuff and shit. The noise should draw 'em. Ambush them at the designated door. If that don't work - yeah! - make a door of our own. Find the hostage first. I think we have to keep our priorities. Any survivors we hand over to the town hobs, right? Let them do their own justice when we have what we came for."

It was a long shot for certain, but it was a plan. And if it went off correctly, it stood to gain them potential allies in the Hedge.

"I'm not willing to plan too far ahead," he added. "But we could make friends here. A hob town would make a fine friend to the 'Hold, Rick. We need friends right now."

But once he had heard the Airtouched out, he nodded.

"We could do that." He agreed.

[unlimited sink]

Uh...Complicated. Whatever, I can be a good soldier. Just point me in the right direction.

"Sounds good," I say to Rick. And if it all goes South, then we just go to it the old fashioned way.

My dread glare focuses on Green for a moment as he says his piece about winning hearts and minds. It's not my area of expertise, but he has a point so I nod my head in agreement.

With that, I turn my attentions back to the Hob, "What do you say, Friend? Is this plan do-able?" After all, the whole thing hinges on whether the townsfolk are capable or willing to pitch in.

[Nathan Griffin]

"Sounds good to me, but..." he hesitated for a moment. It wasn't a subject he was eager to touch on. "What if that woman we're supposed to get out isn't... Y'know. They're privateers. I figure they've taken a page out of the Gentry's book. If they're smart sons of bitches they may have taken measures to make sure we don't take her away that easy."

He put it dryly, as a matter of fact. Keeping people from running off had been his area of expertise and he had seen the theory put into practice more times than he cared to count. Closer up than he would have liked, too.

"You called her a hostage. What if they go full on with the hostaging? Comes down to either saving her or stopping them, we're screwed. In a bad way."

[Malcolm Green]

Green grunted.

"Remember what we're about, Nathan. Yeah? This is a rescue mission. Quest. Thing. Yeah. If it comes to it, we save her first. Her friend made it pretty clear that this about the 'Hold's honour. Don't want bad shit coming out of this. We are small 'Hold. We don't want the bad press. Any shit like that could get us noticed. And thats, like, one step away from being squashed."

He recalled rumours regarding the politics of the local Hedge: of the Margravate of the Brim and shifting loyalties; of the Dragon and his cults; of Sal's Fleshmarket too close for comfort with its slavers ways; they did not need to antagonise a much larger Freehold, who was geographically close, into the bargain.

[Lesingnon]

"If they've done anything of the sort we'll have to deal with it when the time comes. There are too many variables to be able to predict anything of the sort now." It was that simple, really. No matter how hard you tried you could never anticipate every contingency. So you had to be content with your ability to adapt on the fly.

So with all the Freeholders, and Jimmy, in agreement Rick supposed all there was left to do was see if there was any information the local could give them about the bar. Then wait...for the help to arrive, for the right time.

And then hope that it all went more or less according to plan.

If all went well the cook would be saved, and the Freehold would have a bunch of new friends out here in the Hedge.

If not? Well...at least he was comfortable adapting on the fly.