"In that case, observe them now from afar and gather information? The telescope should work as well for you as for me. Alternatives, though. Is there any way to destroy a specific hut or a small number of huts? If we can keep the relative innocents sheltered while exposing those we wish to target, we may have options. A bombardment of Bursts of Radiance if nothing else, but surely something else."

"None of my spells can destroy specific huts without risking an enormous fire. More information sounds like what we need. That telescope of yours should come in handy."

Out they go, then.

Eventually, about a thousand feet from the village, she unfolds her telescope and sets it up on the ground on a slightly elevated area, just enough down from the peak to have a little more cover between them and any observing boggards (who happen to have impressively good eyes). Tomas has the best sight in the group. She lets him peer in through the eye-slot.

"What does the village look like?"

"It's comprised of maybe twenty thatch huts. There's a big hut toward the eastern edge. A few boggards are doing something by a campfire. Looks like there's someone on patrol or watch."

"One or two on watch and twenty huts... Thatch is highly flammable, one Invisibility to start a fire could split them without massive risk of undesired killing. The battlefield had several corpses, if they were one to a hut we may be capable of simply fighting them directly. That seems an unnecessary risk if we have any alternative. Any estimate on the distance between huts? How much of the village could one Entangle catch, if we attempted to burn down only the large huts and leave their inhabitants alone against us?"

"The distance between huts varies. I'd say no more than a ten foot gap between them. Entangle could catch... maybe two thirds of the village?"

"I recall five or six boggard corpses? We can fight perhaps five boggards while the rest are entrapped in their houses or in plants, if need be. It is a risk but not an impossible one. Alternatively, repeated false alarms if we think enough are sleeping to be worth the slot and awareness. Entangle to split them, Silent Image to rouse and exhaust them, or a fire from Invisibility are the approaches I see. Unless one of you has another spell you think worthwhile."

"Entangle works well in this terrain. Silent image could work but they might ignore it. I'd rather not start any fires if we don't have to."

She turns to Julen and Tomas.

"Are you two confident fighting them with only an Entangle for cover? They will be disorganized and split, but those within the Entangle will be difficult to reach without being caught yourself. Are either of you capable enough of ranged combat to handle the captured? I have only Acid Splashes and my crossbow, and I am not a master of the crossbow."

"I wouldn't describe myself as confident. There's probably at least twenty of them and their leader might be as dangerous as the troglodyte chieftain. I am proficient with a longbow, though I am by no means a master."

"I have a shortbow. My rapier is quite a bit more effective but range is its own advantage."

"I could take fifteen minutes to prepare thorny entanglement. It's a third circle variant of entangle that flings deadly thorns at people near the animated plants. I'm not sure if it's worth it."

"An Entangle most likely leaves five or so free, if there were twenty, five died in the battle, and two thirds are caught. I expect anyone as dangerous as the chieftain to escape it, but the rest may well remain caught for a prolonged period. Five, scattered, and the chieftain perhaps two or three moments after the initial alarm is raised? If you can do that, bows might be enough to force the largest of them to emerge rather than hiding within the plants. In that case, no need for a Thorny version, I think?"

He nods. "Very well. Entangle is less likely to go poorly and I already have it prepared."

She looks around, through the telescope. How foggy is it? Is there any area which is particularly foggy? "When might the fog be expected to be thicker?"

It's not particularly foggy right now. Some areas near the northern end of the lagoon and out on the sea are more foggy. It seems to have mostly avoided the southern peninsula for the moment.

"This time yesterday was close to peak fog. I suspect it's unusually clear this morning. I wouldn't expect anything thicker until tomorrow."

"An Image of a fog bank upon a hill could provide us cover to close in, but I do not think it worth waiting until tomorrow. Other options for closing? A truly-cast fog bank would allow closing as well, but it may raise an alarm as much as the Image would, though it would be impossible to disbelieve."

"Dense fog suddenly appearing seems unlikely to fool anyone... though it's not like boggards are known for their intelligence. I'm not sure how experienced you are at stealth, but I expect the tall grass should provide adequate concealment."

"Moderately, but I fear Yanor has less experience? Fog is less appropriate without possible natural cause. I suppose the grass and distance will combine to be enough. The plan, then: we move in to approximately one hundred feet from the guard, Yanor casts his Entangle mid-village, and the two of you engage those boggards not entrapped. I supply each of you with a Dazzling Blade in advance, and Burst as you request. The mightier of the boggards should force their way out, and if they do not, we strike from a range until they do. Another engagement, we finish them, and then we retreat, hopefully leaving the boggard tribe too diminished to take advantage of the troglodytes."

Pause, to let people think that through. "Optimizations? Space to apply spells I have missed? I shall trust the two of you to determine your own buff tradeoffs." She nods to Yanor and Tomas there.

"Dazzling blade isn't useful if we're engaging at range with bows. I otherwise approve of this plan."

"It seems sensible enough."

"Do boggards often use bows? I would expect them to prefer to close, but if not we can discard the Blades."

"Boggards don't usually use bows but I thought the plan was to engage at range? To avoid being entangled ourselves and draw them out."

"Certainly, but I expect to be successful, and we should plan assuming they will escape the Entangle. If we can slay them while they remain within it, all the better."