>>5341283The Thief prepared to lead a decapitating strike, entering the stronghold during the day, to eliminate the leadership and sabotage defences from within, so that your main force-led by you, astride the basilisk—can besiege the confounded and helpless dwarves at the setting of the sun. The Drow Ranger-Captain concurs, favouring this method; he also makes a point of noting how delaying to acquire more Drow allies first could help make it more viable, something you suspect is rooted in a desire to give his own race more prestige in this raid and a better bargaining position.
The Bastard still holds that the kobolds themselves would make an excellent forward force, softening up the dwarves in a direct assault.
“You could follow in a second wave,” he declares. “Our Master Race bringing up the rear, like the Thief’s plan, but without a chance of his being caught with a small force—as he was before—and giving us away. IF they do that, word could get out about our presence… And they could warn the other dwarves, or humans, and maybe even get reinforcements. Better to have them surrounded as quickly as possible. All this… Infiltration, and baiting, and this business with multiple fronts… It just means more chances for something to go wrong, and for a witness or survivor to escape and spread word. This way, if the dwarves repel our initial force… They only see kobolds. Nothing else.”
The Novice, for her part, throws up her hands in exasperation.
“If you’re set on doing this before we consult with the Chaplain, or even can perfect my creature, then I do not even know why you would ask me. I am not a strategist, Dragonborn. I would have suggested modifying our Amulets of Disguise, and sending Infiltrators disguised as dwarves… Though we’d need to capture a few of them to make that happen.”
Hm, that’s an idea, too, you suppose… Delaying the raid proper, but obtaining some dwarven captives to interrogate and ‘deconstruct’ for disguise-materials.
How will you begin your campaign?
>A series of daylight raids on the dwarves to thin their numbers>A two-wave invasion: kobolds to strike, your other forces to cut off means of communication and escape, and a direct siege>A three-pronged nighttime assault: one decoy force to draw the dwarves out, then bugbears to invade the fort from the sides and above while you charge the front defences>A decapitating strike by your stealthiest forces during the day, and then a major unified offensive at sunset>Focus on capturing some dwarves to interrogate and extract materials from—the main raid will come next, when you better understand your enemy>Write-in 