|
A sound like the marching of many well trained soldiers issues from the East and the Iron Lord casts about.
"Michael! Who are these? You said they..." He sighs. "Men, the fight will be greater than we thought, but our resolve is unchanged."
Many of the General's men seem confused by the new developments, but he hasn't noticed yet as his eyes are off to the East: thinking.
Michael starts rocking and wringing his hands. "Silver Tabby...not possible...all dead...no surviving..."
|
|
Four of the enlisted men start battling amongst themselves, while a fww babble on incoherently.
General Lord Wembley narrows his eyes at the display then barks new orders after conferring with the lady. "The wizard is among us! Fan out! Search the area and detain anyone you do not recognize and bring him or her to me!"
Freed slaves bustle about searching eagerly, the enlisted men stay put.
“Take heart, Michael,” says the knifeman as he pats the fretting little man on the shoulder. “A chance to end this is at hand -Look! Michael! Did you see him?!” Lief whispers to one in an oversize coat, pointing at the group of slaves manning the battlements above the entrance, “The wizard hides among the slaves. He’s about to cast a spell! No time! Order these things to fire!”
Leif holds out his blade and hurriedly unstoppers the poison to apply it.
The blade glistens under from the fatal substance, and the nimble man wastes no time gulping down a vanishing poultice. "Wish me luck!" He whispers to the halfman.
Once unseen, the wizard plucks a magical scroll from his belt.
Anga watches from the dark as the slaves search for the wizard. He's confident they won't pose any threat to him or his companions. No, it would be their general that would be the most valuable target on the field. But the woman next to him, she might be more easily neutralized. The Lords armor is heavy and thick, Anga's not positive his blade could find it's weak point.
Still, if they were going to come out of this engagement unscathed it would do to find some way to lower the warriors threat potential...
Gray eyes slowly come to alight on the mans sword, a massive thing hanging from his back. With little effort Anga folds the shadows around himself and disappears completely from view!
With a few quick steps the man of shadows is on the platform next to the hulking warrior, sheathing his blades in the process. He comes to a complete stop next to the general and with quick, lithe fingers reaches up and graspes the hilt of his foes weapon, drawing it forth and quickly hiding it underneath his cloak!
Satisfied, Facion leaps backwards off the platform, landing in the dirt with a soft poof.
|
|
Michael slowly stiffens. "Leif...you are not authorized to make tactical decisions, not to mention I am not in the artillery chain of command."
Michael's eyes widen in shock. "Who are you!? General! Guards! Imposter! Imposter!"
____________________________
Take Something Unnoticed
If you try to take something from a creature, you must make a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check. The opponent makes a Perception check to detect the attempt, opposed by the Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when you tried to grab the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the attempt, regardless of whether you got the item. You cannot use this skill to take an object from another creature during combat if the creature is aware of your presence.
Anga's hand clasps around the hilt of the massive weapon and the Iron Lord spins away from the attempt. "Rosalynd! Reveal this thief!"
Lady Wembley turns, grasping a holy symbol which begins to pulse with light.
____________________________
Ezkal, Tholan, and Iskandarr crest the rise and know see the courtyard clearly. Many citizen-soldiers guard the parapets, but all appear to be searching for something and the ballistae are unmanned!
Several Amerysi soldiers stand in ranks before a raised platform holding a beautiful woman and a severe looking man, both in officer's plate. Most of the soldiers mill about in a state of confusion, but a few remain vigilant and shout the warning immediately. "Enemy spotted, sir!"
The Iron Lord faces away from you all, an impossibly large sword, wreathed in flame, gripped in one hand. An armored women stands beside him, holy symbol raised high as if about to cast a spell!
The court wizard hears the cry of a thief, and wonders. Shuffling outside, he sees the beautiful woman weaving a spell and the Iron Lord facing an empty space. ...Halfblood?
The arcanist quells the urge to immediately expunge her illuminating magic, knowing that will reveal his position. Reaching up, under his pointed hat, the aging Feraweni pulls down a feline face mask. Though he could not deny a half-curiosity to see who succeeded in drawing the ire of two commanders. If it is the Halfblood, I wonder how he managed invisibility. Perhaps he learned an application from the book I loaned him...
Crouching in the dirt next to the platform Anga's mouth compresses in a hard line. It was upsetting that he had been unable to remove the weapon. Only just beginning to reassess his options he hears the call from the Iron Lord. Reveal? he thinks to himself. That wouldn't do, wouldn't do at all. Quickly he steps to the side and conceals himself under the cover of darkness and shadow once again.
His palm seeks the hilt of rapier as he waits precious moments to see what sort of witchery the woman conjures.
Eyes peeled the keeper of shadows searches the courtyard for other places from which to strike.
Iskandarr sees the woman beginning to cast a spell. His ears fold back with a snarl as his eyes begin to glow.
|
|
Lady Wembley glances over her shoulder as her holy symbol goes white hot. She winces through the pain, but seems the spell was only half as effective as it should have been. She does not drop the symbol.
The Iron Lord turns at the smell of burning flesh. "The tiger." Lady Wembley says.
General Wembley levels the immense sword at Iskandarr. "I do hope you retain that hide in death. I will use it to blanket my bed."
Tholan slaps his brother on the shoulder with a roaring laugh and a glowing hand. [ooc]Cast Enlarge Person "Let us revel in this battle, brother! May this be a glorious sacrifice to Gorum!" With those words, he charges toward his foes.
Judgement of Sacred Protection Activiated
AC 28, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +3 deflection)
"For Gorum!" Ezkal shouts as he follows his brother in. Focusing, he activates his judgements.
Ezkal swings his mighty flaming sword
|
|
Ezkal and Tholan charge the confused soldiers, Ezkal nearly killing one with his large sword.
Two of the soldiers continue fighting among each other, but the rest seem to regain their wits: at least for the moment. Perhaps it was the calls of their general. Perhaps it was the two Thelkonese warriors barreling up to them. Either way, they lock shields and attack, all their training coming to bear as the hold ranks.
The big, bearded brothers expertly defend themselves from all efforts to harm them.
Up on the battlements, seven ballistae, bristling with nearly a dozen arrows each, slowly wheel to face the Thelkons and Iskandarr. The small companies of citizen-soldiers cock the mechanisms within and take aim.
A pulse of light erupts from the stage-like platform and Anga feels his magical concealments fade, though no one seems to notice him.
Thaegrin feels the tingles of the magic so close to him, but so quite so close as to affect him.
The Iron Lord turns a small gear inlaid into his armor and cruel, barbed spikes snap into place all about him. He scans the crowd actively. "Where are you thief...", he whispers.
AC 28, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +3 deflection)
Ezkal, seeing one soldier fall to one knee, chops down with his greatsword, then swings at another.
Iskandarr bounds to Ezkal's side and attacks.
The spell ends if the subject attacks any creature. For purposes of this spell, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe. Exactly who is a foe depends on the invisible character's perceptions. Actions directed at unattended objects do not break the spell. Causing harm indirectly is not an attack. Thus, an invisible being can open doors, talk, eat, climb stairs, summon monsters and have them attack, cut the ropes holding a rope bridge while enemies are on the bridge, remotely trigger traps, open a portcullis to release attack dogs, and so forth. If the subject attacks directly, however, it immediately becomes visible along with all its gear.
Seeing the Iron Lord’s men resume formation in the face of Thelkon fury, as well as the artillery that angles down on their bold position, the court mage wonders if a bit more chaos would soften discipline exhibited on the field. When the general himself bristles, the old wizard decisively unrolls the scroll in his hand, reciting the long incantation to summon beasts of mayhem to the stage.
Recital complete, the old Feraweni scarcely has enough time to shuffle back into the doorway behind him.
Tholan roars with delight at the gore, and steps back with a gleam. A dark purple pulse of light emanates from his hands as he shouts, "Toate se încadrează înainte pumnul uriașului." A ripling of light covers his body as he grows larger.
Towering over the soldiers, Tholan roars an incoherent, ear-rending roar, his falchion brandished high. "None stand before Gorum's wrath!" He thunders at the soldiers.
Ezkal, ever growing stronger, hefts his sword, the cold steel twisting in the air like a viper ready to strike. He shifts his grip (fighting defensively) The whistling blade zips toward a soldier's neck.
AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +5 deflection)
Ezkal Full swing with flames enlarged
Ezkal, ever growing stronger, hefts his sword, the cold steel twisting in the air like a viper ready to strike. He shifts his grip (fighting defensively) The whistling blade zips toward a soldier's neck.
** spoiler omitted **
Ezkal Full swing with flames enlarged
Ignore this, I can't read the flow of Bumpity's.
Watching the battle beginning to unfold, Anga stays where he's at. It wouldn't do to lose the element of surprise just yet. He sorts through his pack before producing a small vial of cloudy liquid. Uncorking it, the man in the shadows downs it, while keeping a close eye on his enemies.
|
|
"COMPANY! BACK!" shouts the Iron Lord, and all his troops adjust their formations.
"Balistae! Fire!"
56 arrows shade the courtyard!
[/ooc]Take 8 damage[/ooc]
A few arrows inconvenience the tiger and Tholan, but nothing serious comes of the impressive barrage. The citizen-soldiers begin muttering of hopelessness.
Just then, Michael appears on the battlements. "Do not lose heart men! If we must die, let us die facing our foes! Make the bleed through the nose! Make them pay for every man! Their armor is thick and their shields broad, but we will overcome!"
Lord Wembley smiles. "LOAD ARMOR PIERCING!"
Thicker, more wicked looking arrows start sliding into their slots.
Lady Wembley touches her husband on the shoulder and whispers something.
Wembley nods to his wife and charges, leaping off the stage straight at Ezkal!
The smaller man crashes into the enlarged Thelkonlander with amazing force sending Ezkal reeling back 10 feet. As Ezkal stumbles away, the Iron Lord brings his massive sword to bear in the opening left by Ezkal's involuntary movement.
"KEEP THE THELKON FILTH SEPARATED!"
Ezkal, seeing Wembley leap toward him, relies on his Preacher teachings and steels himself.
AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +3 deflection)
Ezkal roars with anger at the push. He takes a half step forward as he swings his mighty blade.
With a roar, Tholan shouts and a pulse of light ripples out from him. "Blood and battle, blade and bone, may the blood shed today be a beautiful sacrifice unto Gorum!" A bloody gleam in his eyes, Tholan turns to his brother. "Let us shatter them, brother."
Thaegrin hears the pandemonium erupt without needing to see, and a smirk threatens to take his face. The soldiers have spread out, and a few of them are irritatingly too close to the wizard. However, there was little reason to worry, as he remains unseen. Knowing the value of misdirection, he plucks a scroll from his expansive collection, his last written word to bring Sergio to his side.
Not wanting to call attention to the spellcasting just yet, the old Feraweni instead activates the mask of the Silver Tabby, allowing him to see the battlefield free of illusion or guise.
Now with a calm moment to think, Thaegrin recalls what he can of the Amerysi officer’s protocols.
|
|
The Will of the People - This is not a person, but a collection of people. This group consists of the local, elected, officials of each settlement of Amerys. When a vote is called, every citizen casts their lot in the commons of their respective towns and the elected officials, using magical means, deliver the consensus of the people to the delegates of Alisar.
The People's Commander Rudolph Hadrian - This man is the brain and heart behind the will. They say the People's Commander could turn slaver to democrat in less than 10 words. A brilliant tactician and a masterful courtier of morale.
Vice Admiral Jonathan Trinton - Trinton is the right foot in the ocean, the pride of the Amerysi Navy. An unrivaled seaman and fierce fighter on land or quarter deck, the Vice Admiral began his career in the military of Amerys during the downfall of the last king of Perdute (the former name of the country). Trinton distinguished himself as a ship's captain, but made his career when he discovered that the King's household was selling debtors, prisoners, and enemies of the state to the Thelkonlanders. Outraged, Trinton led the coup staged by Rudolph Hadrian and forged the Democracy of Amerys.
Major General Penelope Trimak - By the time her first service was over, Penelope Trimak had risen through the ranks for her intuition of enemies preferred tactics and her bold, decisive victories. She is the left foot on land.
Anga, from his place in the dark, summons the powers of the mask yet again. This time calling forth the voices of ghosts to incite panic amongst the ranks of newly freed slaves.
Iskandarr bounds forward and attacks.
|
|
The slaves on the battlements above Anga slide toward panic before their sergeant barks them back on task. They and the other citizen-soldier crews begin the arduous task of reloading the great seige contraption.
The hooting monkeys rip the Lady Wembley's shield off her arm and draw a slight gasp from her.
The Lady drops into a defensive position and concentrates hard. After a moment, the monkeys disappear in a howling poof leaving her shield and 4 of her men splayed out on the ground.
Iskandarr rips into two men as they paused to see what had happened to their comrades. The tiger left only a torn and bloody heap.
His head cocking toward his lady at her gasp, the Iron Lord steps back and swings hard at Iskandarr.
Using his borrowed feline grace, Iskandarr is able to skirm away from the worst of the blow, but the opening left allows the hulking warrior to pass by to stand before his lady.
The remaining squad fills in around Tholan both on and off the stage. They swing the swords at the oversized Thelkonlander.
Michael shouts from the battlements again. "NOW BROTHERS! RUSH FORWARD AND DRIVE THE INTERLOPERS FROM OUR HOME!"
A great shout pours from the doorways of many of the nearby buildings, and large groups of citizen-soldiers rush out, eager for battle.
Two such groups charge the mighty Ezkal!
The big man swats away well-aimed blows with a determination only the most dedicated of Gorum ever find.
As the first soldier strikes him, a shimmering pulse emanates from the band around Tholan's head. A shimmering longsword appears and begins to slash visciously at the soldier.
Tholan steps so his back is to his brother, and swings his falchion at the nearest interlopers.
Thaegrin frowns as Michael calls yet more damaged goods to battle, annoyed that he must change his plan. For a moment he considers sending Sergio after Lady Wembley’s shield, but concedes that the mindless servant would wink from existence before even reaching the end of the platform. Dropping the magical scroll would not do, either. With a reluctant arcane utterance, the wizard senses the conjured servant nearby.
“Follow.” He orders, not bothering to mask his irritation.
Turning indoors, he reaches the ladder climbed by the little man, and begins to pull himself up.
3/4 Determination left
AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +3 deflection)
Ezkal, seeing Iskandarr getting flanked, steps to help him.
Iskandarr watches the first soldier survive and attacks.
Attempting to time it just right, Anga stands and quick-steps to the now open doorway. Certain that there's a way up to the battlements from inside.
* * * * *
Thaegrin wakes as the first sunbeams stream through the narrow window of the small adobe room, filling the repurposed office with a faint yellow light. Noting the hour and weather as he dresses for the day, the wizard frowns. There was much to do, and there was never enough time in one day. First things first… His old eyes turn to the tome resting on plain wooden desk.
The binding crackles as he opens it, and the aged scholar pours over the arcane writings acquired over the past century. As he commits incantations to memory, the mental exercise Spreading Root allows part of his mind to wander. He considers the day before, and what that means for the days ahead.
The Wembleys are dead, the Amerysi soldiers surrendered, and the surviving slaves corralled into large rooms for the time being. Reaching to turn a page, a minor tinge of pain shoots up the old Feraweni arm, and Thaegrin recalls the moment the tendon was stretched as he pierced the side of little Michael with a poisoned blade. It was an odd moment, for the court wizard. Rarely he allowed his passions take over his rational mind, far enough to drive him to acts of violence. The momentary loss of control troubled him, but something else niggled the back of his mind.
Shortly after Michael’s grievous wound, the battle seemed to turn to the favor of Rudianos agents. The Thelkonlanders carved away slave and soldier alike, and the Tiger Lord’s teeth and claws dug into the Wembley woman. Volley upon volley rained down on the warriors as they contended against the Amerysi general. However their valiant efforts did not account for the sudden confusion among the artillery crews, causing them to loose arrows on their own commanders.
Thaegrin blinks. It made sense now, after a full night of rest. The Halfblood was unaccounted for until last sundown, where he gave into his irritating habit of appearing most unexpectedly when the wizard was alone. The old Feraweni never fully trusted the spymaster, though he admired the Halfblood’s ability to vanish and infiltrate without use of magic, as evident in yesterday’s battle. Under the guise of an Amerysi soldier, the master of shadows posited to allow the soldiers to escape with misinformation. Despite the loss of the ship, and a handful of slaves freed by the four soldiers, the seeker of knowledge agreed that redirecting the ire of Amerys would outweigh future damages to the house coffers.
Speaking of damages, the agent of the Rudianos recalls the vast wealth of the island. The remaining slaves ought to retain a market value of twelve thousand in gold. In the hidden bay, Thaegrin had the Thelkonlanders lock away tens of thousands in currency, art, and luxury goods, undoubtedly pillaged by the Amerysi from the villa of Targ the Twice Taken. And then there was the matter of ransoming the fallen general. Presently, his body lay dead but preserved by magic. Only a handful of mages in the world could recall a soul to a body, but Thaegrin knew one of them followed the democratic banner. Still, turning over a figure of power who witnessed Thaegrin’s companions in action troubled him. His mind turns to those who make open war with Amerys. Thelkon would also pay dearly for such a high-ranking Amerysi general. Ransoming both Wembleys would bring more gold, no matter the source, but allowing such adversaries to return to life was a risk to closely consider. And then there was the island itself. The court wizard had never personally conducted business with the Grok’Toh reavers, but he wondered if he could manage an exchange of land for information. More specifically, their closely guarded lore of dragons. Whether or not the island belonged to an Isterothi regent or the Erenese emperor mattered little when the reavers already saw fit to take what they pleased. Thaegrin knew that he and his associates would be far and forgotten by the time disputes over the island arose.
The old wizard mutters under his breath in disapproval. He resolved to be more prepared in his next encounter with a dragon. That umbral beast from the depths was as unexpected as it was terrifying. He recalls how the spymaster spirited the lot of them away with a whirl of his dark cloak. Vaguely satisfied that the Facion’s mind could make practical application of the loaned book, the Feraweni wondered if traveling the shadowed world could be used to exact disruptive vengeance on Amerysi soil. Vyran Shipyards could be a suitable target…
The scholar of the higher mysteries closes his thick spellbook with a thud, his memorizations complete. There was much to do, and little time to dally. At least one message to send today, and I hope the Man-Beast readied his magic to send ravens…
Iskandarr stretches as he wakes, his muscles feeling yesterday's events. He proceeds to begin his meditation and prepare his spells. A small grin plays across his face when he finishes his meditation. I suppose yesterday was a prime example of having to eat one's profits... "Heheh..." I suppose I should go find Thaegrin to send that message. He then goes to find the wizard.