Wink suspiciously examines the ring then shrugs as he slips it on his finger, "Thanks...protection, I assume?"
Gerard is rewarded with a bright smile.
"Of.. of course!" Euphemia laughs, though she skims over thinking about hair as a weakness, due to the fact the two were still in public. "Though it's unfair that I know almost nothing about you, now. I see you're quite good with your ha-sharp, pointy objects. Sneaking, too... but that's... um... not really what I meant to ask. Where'd you pick up your training?"
---
"Yes. I imagine you might need it, Wink. Don't do anything too foolish out there just because you have it, though. It's probably a moot point to tell you that with your work experience, though."
The witch peers uselessly into the distance.
"I rather hope Dogtongue hasn't sacrificed himself needlessly. Sadistic as he is, he knows loyalty, as I'm sure I've already mentioned."
Frank wonders when the man is going to drop the fact he's taken on the witch. The familiar knows better, as the distraction of his mistress caused by that sort of letdown at this point could lessen her combat performance. Social expectations could get pretty high if the masterful hedgehog is the source with which all other relations are compared. Well, in most cases, at least. Frank would have nothing to do with any non-spined women.
I think Dogtongue's temper is getting short, even by Redcap standards. He was rather annoyed that we wanted to dither around the forest capturing patrols and going after the bug. I suspect that he would blow his cap to the high sky if we wanted to camp out till morning.
Then he smiles, sheepishly shaking his head. But my father wouldn't let me, he said if the witch... sorry. If the witch could make me better, he could train me and overcome what the disease had done. My father is a bear of a man... I guess I would or should have been bigger. But, I never developed his mass...
Which didn't matter because he taught me to rely on agility and speed. Try to keep up. Gerard chuckles and puts on an unbelievable display of manual speed. Reach for, drawing and re-sheathing seven daggers about his person with lightning speed.
Parlor tricks, but it's fun.
My family... Andoren Freedom Fighters, for generations.
Euphemia proves to be an active listener, as the nonverbal tells suggest. Well, that and she flinches at the dagger display before giving some quiet applause.
Secretly, she envies Gerard. Not for the horrible sickness, mind, but it sounds like his father loves him dearly (at the very least, in his way). Not that there was any lack of said bond between herself and the brother who practically raised her, but Rance.... Rance was absent. Always daydreaming, being with his peers, taking off... The young Euphemia had been ill on several counts and left alone in the Lucca abode for hours simply to hold onto a more silent, nonmagical baby Frank until the fever and nausea passed, ignoring the prickly animal's backside.
"I'm happy your father didn't lose faith in you, as well as your having a witch. That's what someone like me should function as, I think, rather than the perpetuator of scary tales to tell children..." Euphemia trails off.
"I'm surprised a bear of a man knew all that about the combat styles of speed, but I imagine Andorani freedom fighting is a social endeavor.
This brought up a different point entirely.
"Your parents... are they in Andoran, then?"
---
"That strikes me as a bad idea anyway, Andrea." the witch states simply. "Though I wouldn't grudge eating some of the rest of our daily rations on the way... if I couldn't smell Funghwa's dinner..."
She shudders.
The attack must come tonight. The night will inhibit control of a large force and give us the advantage to create chaos among a partially sleeping enemy. Our clouds and area spells will hurt more. The fog will negate held torches. The Morrow fall will ruin those whose eyes adjusted to the dark and the colder air will help the Mother's swarms sooner when the fires are out. The attack must come tonight. ..
We need a plan that we can stick to.
No direct assault for us, we simply end the stale mate... allowing The Mother to bring her forces to bear.
Euphemia leans in expectantly, eagerly wishing to hear of the portents. She'd only back away if the rogue behaves as if it is something profoundly personal.
"I am willing to bet a gold that Funghwa ends up in a food coma before the night's out. I'd just as soon hide in his shadow and hex everything I see... except for your halfling, of course. He's going to get special treatment."
Exactly, getting those fires put out seems to be paramount. We have a heck of a distraction with the bug.
We probably shouldn't overfeed Fungwha and rely on the lure, otherwise it could wander off.
We have to protect the beetle... what if it reacts adversely to the light?
I think there's been a terrible mistake. No. I think I've made a terrible mistake. How could this happen... How could I be so wrong, so blind.
Shaking his head slowly, as if in disbelief... It looks like he's about to pull away.
"No, I meant in the middle of battle. He won't wander off amidst all that meat, and we sure as archonization aren't going to keep refilling and maintaining the lure in battle... are we?"
I mean use the lure to get him to the tree and then set him loose. How is he looking? we need to keep him at full strength.
Even if he doesn't like light that much, we need light for ourselves. Only Daniel and Lucrezia can see well in dim light and in darkness the shadowbeasts will tear us apart. No dout Wink and the others stuck close to the bonfire at night because of those things, right?
Frank, did I do something?!
Euphemia's eyes show shock at the disengagement, then hurt. She doesn't let the rogue get away though, grasping onto his shirt in a show of relative power (though the grip is superficial, at best, he doesn't have to know that).
"What are you talking about, Gerard?"
No, Mistress, you've done nothing wrong. Frank reassures, assessing Gerard's discomfort as only an animal can.
-Now we may see his true coloration.- he thinks to himself, licking his chops in anticipation of a nocturnal attack on a sleeping rogue's pillow to serve as vengeance.
He looks down to your hands at his shirt, then back up to your face and it's clear his eyes are moist and brimming as if about to sob.
It is clearly difficult for him to speak and it is all he can do to summon a single word. You.
Gerard's hands come up to cover your hands firmly, as if making sure you're real. Confirming your existence.
Daniel looks at their paid mercenary. Yes Wink. What is the night routine. You should have assessed the plan is to attack at midnight when most of the camp would be sleeping bar the 30% watch. Those with heavy armor would be in lighter gear to sleep. We propose to hit suddenly and violently. The bug at one spot and the Redcaps in another. We will kill the fires and use area magic to inflict as many casualties as possible. What defenses are they likely to use?
Daniel left out the invisible flying assault on the leaders. No need to reveal everything.
Gerard shakes his head. Daniel... We do not inflict casualties. That cannot be an objective, we're vastly outnumbered.
We fight only if we have to, we quell as many fires as we can... defend and retreat.
I think one of us will have to stay with the bug in order to make sure it stays on track, or else we split off from it.
I think we will need to take the leaders taken out at least. If Stiglor and the halfling fall, then they are more likely to retreat.
For the old stereotype of women being overly sensitive, deep, and understanding creatures, Euphemia could only decide once and for all that said stereotype was a bunch of lark vomit. She had only feeble designs pertaining to what it meant when Gerard said she was his mistake and stood there crying like that. She was an academic, herbalist sort of genius, dammit!
Still, instincts exist.
She's relatively certain she's making the right move when she closes in and embraces Gerard. She wants his pain to go away, at the very least. She can't stand to see him miserable, and she thinks he's trying to make sure he's not dreaming with his movements.
She'll pester him about why she might be a mistake later. Right now, he needs reassurance... the rest should come naturally... right?
"Gerard. Shhh... It's okay."
She looks up at him again, searching for some clue as to what's going on in the man's head, trying very, very hard not to get distracted.
---
Gerard shakes his head. Daniel... We do not inflict casualties. That cannot be an objective, we're vastly outnumbered.
We fight only if we have to, we quell as many fires as we can... defend and retreat.
"Gerard, inflicting casualties doesn't necessarily mean murder, but merely incapacitation. Defending against one arrow is fine... against a hundred... well, not so much. And this is one time when a fog will be helpful, provided I just cast it in the vicinity of mobs and escape... Still, I need the fires out almost as much as the wretched mother. Swarms are my forte, too. Does that mean I'm stuck with the beetle until I have access to them?"
I think once the beetle sees food, it will charge off and engage them without our need for further prodding. However, it is a very useful creature. Everyone saw how it snapped an ogre in half, so we should endeavor to keep it alive as long as possible.
Causing as much havok on the battlefield will give us more time to work. Orsin's tentacle spells and walls of fire will block off attackers and if they chase my elementals around so much the better.
Do you have any suggestions, Orsin?
Orsin scratches at the stubble along his chin in concentration.
"If we're truly as outnumbered as we suspect, then we should use every available resource and sew as much confusion in the ranks as possible. The Morrowfall will surely be an asset, given both the intensity and the scale of its abilities. Even if we're able to cause a distraction or place our spells from a distance, given their numbers, we're sure to be discovered if we move to close. I..."
Orsin's head begins hurting. He's a pretty face and a good sword arm with a couple of pretty arias under his belt, not the brains of this or any operation. "...I have no head for tactics. My sword, songs, and scrolls are at the group's disposal. Regardless, our first priority should be getting to the Mother before it's too late. Otherwise, all this is for naught."
It is not the killing of the enemy that bothers me. If we attack, we will be forced to consume resources... as the smaller force, that puts us on deadly ground.
And, using the Mollow Fall, will light us up like a beacon relinquishing any advantage of stealth. They will simply harry us to death. That "light" should be a last resort. We need precision and execution... Perhaps extinguishing multiple fires at once.
Gerard pauses.
If this Stiglor is human, he most likely sleeps. If we're silenced, perhaps we can get to him and finish this quickly.
Light headed by the mere scent of you, his lips gently touch your neck behind your ear as he collects himself.
I misunderstood her prophecy. Mis-interpreted the portents. You. You're the one. Smiling, he scratches under Frank's chin.
Shyly, he pulls away... This isn't fair to the others. We have to finish the mission. There is much at stake.
You'd better not die on me. Smiling once more, he squeezes you hand, looking into your eyes for something, anything...
Wink answers Daniel, "You've got a good plan....create chaos, armies or in this case organized mercenaries detest chaos." He clucks the roof of his mouth with his tongue before continuing, "As I've mentioned Stigor and wizard are deceptive, they won't have a problem seeing invisible foes dn they keep moving through the various camps....always tinkering and inspecting." He clucks his tongue again."That thing is huge bonus" he points to the bug, "focus him on the large ones like the ogres or giants, if possible." His tongue clucks twice more as he scratches his nose, "Archers range will be cut by 1/3 simply because they won't be able to get the trajectory with the lower branches from Mother's tree."
"I don't know how the hag does it but the smoky fog doesn't seem to hinder her ability to see across the battlefield, that baffled my commander."
But the ogres and giants are the only things that can really hurt it... We can ride in its wake, clearing the enemy with ranged attacks.
Any magical protections we can give it? That armor wizards like... Or that blurring effect or the one that toughens the skin or hide.
Gerard approaches a Jenkin. What else can this thing do... Fly, sting?
Euphemia, would you know?
The jinkens look at the man speaking gobbledygook to them and then laugh.
You do see that it has wings.
To say Euphemia reciprocates is an understatement. She behaves as someone starved for physical affection, positioning herself against Gerard's neck when possible, leaning in, nuzzling, and only reluctantly releases her now decidedly stronger grip.
"I... Again, I have no idea what you mean about the portents, but I see your point."
She shoots a glance in Andrea's last known direction before looking back at her thief prince with eyes aglow.
"I'll do my best, you know. We have a real chance, now... but you can't die on me, either. Lords know what you'd come back as..."
The beetle can fly poorly, you can see it tramples things quite effectively, and spray a cone of acid frequently.
Orsin's comprehend language is wearing off but he hears the rogues question to the jenkins, and their response, Orsin quickly translates.
"Acid and fly," Orsin responds to Gerard.
I can bless our group to aim better in combat.Bless and I plan on bolstering our wills against the possibility of terror magicRemove Fear
I also plan to shield us against fire.Communal Protection from elements and can briefly increase our speed for nine of us. Blessing of Fervor So getting the bug to move swiftly is an idea.
As for them harrying us, remember that they MUST stay at the tree. I don't plan on annuncing our presence from miles away but we are going to need some light.
The group crosses the outer road and new minutes later Dogtongue pops up, "Y'r late." He looks perturbed and his cap is a deep crimson. "Got us another patrol though. They seem to know somethings up there are more patrols roaming."
We have the bug, some Jinkens and a giant. The giant is our bestest friend friend*wink wink*
So it seems we are going to try to hit them from different directions. We need to get those fires out so The Mother can join the fight. If you see a halfling or Stiglor, try to kill them since they are the leaders
Andrea turns to her group. When we are almost at the tree, I will start casting my defensive magic.
Heal the Fug'bug... Somebody.
"Will do...killing things is great pasttime." He describes the fires that his group has witnessed.
"There is a command center sort of off to the side but the leaders weren't there. We set off an alarm and that unleashed a shadowy hell...lost Phul'kin.Plus those dam hounds yap and scare ya to death."
"Mother knows I'm back, she knows all from her perch. You'll need to communicate with her by getting a bit closer...or else, she'll attack you. She needs to know you have come in peace towards her." He says nonchalantly.
Here is the general around the Maggot Tree, it's a 20 foot per hex map. I don't like when they do that. I need to tinker with it to make it more usable as a battle map.
B7 is the area DT referred to as the command center.
To compound the map problem the dang thing is very dark/black. How does this grid color work for you all...does it bother you?
I'm looking for some contrast but not where it gives you a headache.
Let's get a perception check and a stealth check rolled out.
Perhaps an invisible Daniel and Gerard can tell Mother we are here to help. Just watch for the huge bug
Andrea borrows Orsin's wand of CMW and heals Fugbug
Plus one tap for their new giant friend.
When they start getting near the camp for the assault, Andrea will cast these spells.
Remove Fear from her scrolls on Orsin and Gerard(+4 to Resist fear 10 minutes)
Remove Fear from her spell list (2 people) on Lucrezia and Wink(10 minutes +4 Resist fear)
Protection from Energy-Communal(Fire) 9 people. Andrea,Daniel,Orsin,Lucrezia,Euphemia,Wink,The bug,Giant,Gerard
(108 points protection against fire for 10 minutes each. As you take fire damage, subtract it from the total protection. Doesn't last forever)
Bless (+1 Hit/Saves vs. fear 9 minutes)
If Daniel wants tio do his inviso strike, Andrea will cast invisibility on him(9 minutes)
If the mother needs a sign we are friends and the leaders will see us in invisibly anyway. Perhaps we should have the bug FLY into the middle of the group? It can land and trample and spray it's acid every which way. I can hold onto the saddle, sitting behind the Jinky and use my wands and lay on hands to keep the bug and the Jinky alive. Certainly this creature bring the most carnage. If I can keep it in the fight, all the better. Plus given it's size it will suffer many attacks. It will need healing.
I still need stealth and perception checks from Daniel, Orsin and Euphemia.