"Not by the survivors, or the freed prisoners for that matter...and anyone stationed here in the future...the sensitive ones.....they'll feel that a lot of death happened here." Corynne replies softly.
Az sits cross-legged near the others, the butt of his musket tucked into the corner of his legs, one arm wrapped around the weapon and lightly tapping the barrel.
"There are many places where much death has happened, where people with your abilities will feel chill run down spine. We did what had to be done, both to keep ourselves alive and to complete our mission." Az answers, looking back toward the battlefield and huffing out a tired breath of air.
"Whether this day is long remembered or soon forgotten, though, Azaghâl will still sleep well tonight. We fought hard battle today, and won. I am glad that one of the deaths to be felt here someday is not my own. Or any of yours."
"Yeah, this will likely go down in history as a minor squabble for power, at least those parts that aren't hushed. But we'll remember it, and- oh, crud. Ellena, had you never killed before?"
Grabbing her hip flask, Alice offers it to the blonde girl. "Take a sip, get you throat burning, not your brain. It'll take a bit of the edge off."
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Jeb also sits quietly, thinking through the implications of it all.
"It just feels a little pointless. I mean, I know we had to do it, but most of them just seemed like ordinary people somehow caught up in it all. I still see some of them screaming as the shrapnel caught them - and for what? a little island that barely anyone has heard of? I always thought that I would survive because I am better; both morally and intellectually. Now I see just how much of it is down to pure luck."
"This little island currently houses the woman why tried to kill our king and plots to overthrow our country. And as for luck....I've found it favors those in the right." Corynne says calmly.
"And houses all those who would see her succeed, as well. I, for one, am happy to have been part of the group to keep her little coup from success."
Taking the flask, Ellena promptly downs three large swallows before handing it back with a small, lady-like burp. Brain burning sounds good right about now. "What do we do now?"
"Go and see what the Captain wants." Wiping her brow and heading out, Miselle muttered, "I wish this place had a bath. And the time."
"Aye, a report needs to be made to the Captain." the dwarf agrees, nodding his head to Alice. "Is probably best if you go. You have most experience in military, giving reports and such things like that."
"Go and see what the Captain wants." Wiping her brow and heading out, Miselle muttered, "I wish this place had a bath. And the time."
"That I would thoroughly enjoy right now." Corynne replies with a sigh.
"We should all go but I agree Alice's reports are the most concise.....mine usually include details some of the commanders would rather not think about."
"Aye-aye, I'll be right back or call for you." Rather than clipping back the hip flask, Alice tosses it to Jebediah. "Share it around, but don't get sloshed. It isn't over until it's over."
She walks fast towards the Captain, gazing over the battlefield. Risuri blood has been spilled, I'm going to kick the Duchess in the face for that, noble blood or not.
As soon as we got to the fortress, we've snuck in and split in two teams: as Fitelle, Durande and Flintbreaker made a diversion, releasing the prisoners and setting fire to the brig, me, Tabbit and Goodfellow snuck inside the lighthouse. Then there were swords, blood and explosions, until the Navy managed to pass through, and we somehow all managed to keep breathing."
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The Captain offers you a cigar. "You've done a bloody good job. When I heard about what happened to the original team, I wasn't sure if the gates would be open at the appointed time, but you pulled it off anyway. Very impressive, Constable Kildare, very impressive.
"Save the cigar for now, though, as we haven't won yet. The Duchess holed herself up in the central keep, and we're still working on breaking through the defenses. She's surrounded, though, so we should have her in the next few hours - fingers crossed, of course. You and your companions are technically the highest authority for non-military matters, so it'll be your responsibility to deal with her once we have her under lock and key. Go find Sergeant Glassman; his squad'll be under your command. A word of warning: he's one of those 'radical honesty' chaps, so don't ask him anything you don't want to know the answer to. We'll talk again once all this is over."
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Allied Soldier Defense: Your allied soldier is on guard, providing warning and a handy shield. You gain a +2 bonus to AC and saving throws. If you are knocked unconscious, your ally automatically stabilizes you.
You can also have your allied soldier suffer the effect of an attack in your place. The attack does nothing to you, but your allied soldier is incapacitated until he can get a few minutes out of combat to rest and heal. During this time, you lose the AC bonus, automatic stabilization, and Allied Soldier Offense. If your allied soldier suffers the effect of an attack a second time in the same combat, he is killed.
Allied Soldier Offense: Your allied soldier assists when you attack. You gain a +2 bonus to melee attack rolls. Once per combat, you can have your allied soldier hurl a flask of alchemist's fire (+2 ranged touch attack).
"Sir, yes, Sir. Thank you." Alice salutes sharply and heads back towards her companions, after a brief detour to find Glassman and his squad.
As she gets to the other constables, she tosses a gold coin to Miselle. "Alright, folks, as RHC we're put in charge of non-military operations. That means we'll watch over the siege, then swoop in, tie the Duchess up and head back home sweet home, unless things go south. Well, technically Risur lies to the south, so it wouldn't be too bad, but that's beside the point."
"Anyway, This is Sergeant Glassman, he never lies, and his squad will assist us. I'd say we get towards the fortress and get a sitrep, you all coming? Oh, by the way, Sarge, did we get any high-ranking prisoner who needs questioning?"
"If we have, I haven't heard anything about it."
Suddenly, gunshots and screams of panic erupt from one of the Risuri warships in the harbor, hundreds of feet away. A few flashes of fire light up the night, and then a massive ball of flame engulfs the ship. Smoke billows upward as the rigging catches ablaze, and you can faintly make out a single humanoid figure striding across the burning deck. He points a flaming sword and sweeps it in an arc toward the sea wall as all the gas lamps shatter and go dark. Seconds later, he leaps thirty feet from the ship to the sea wall, and his cloak transforms into a cloud of smoke, making him practically invisible in the night.
"Enemy caster! Move!" Corynne shouts, beginning to run in the direction of the chaos.
"It sounds like simple enough plan, but when has anything we have been assigned to gone as planned?" the dwarf asks somewhat cynically. Before any other comments can be made on the plan to this point, the conflagration on the deck of the warship begins.
"Hell of a caster! Not thinking it wise to go toward him!"
Azaghâl says in reply...but even so, he follows after, glad that he had a few moments to go ahead and reload his musket before the running and screaming started up again. His eyes are not on the ship, though, but on the cloud of smoke, doing his best to track its movement.
How can those dogs have caster, when they live in dead magic... No, we're not fighting Danor now. Focus, Alice! No time for flashbacks!
"Those ships have a thaumic shield, that's no ordinary caster! We've got to get the *****, I mean, the Duchess, as soon as possible!"
Sword back in hand, Alice hurries towards the forces sieging the fortress.
Miselle caught the coin and smiled. "Alice has kindly bought the first round."
As the world went to Chaos, Miselle tried to line up a shot on the attacker, but the smoke and explosions prevented such. She said a paticularly nasty Danorian word and re-shouldered her gun.
Alice knew those ships better than most. Still, Miselle wanted to know about the creature they were facing, and squinted to see exactly what had happened.
What... how!? "That's more magic than I've ever seen..." Ellena draws her sword and starts to follow after Corynne, but stops short when her brain clicks back into gear. "Guys, stop! "
She waves Fabian at the harbor. "Look at what they're doing! The mage is trying to stop us from running away, when it should be the other way around. The attack on the Duchess' fortress must be about to go all ploin-shaped, she must have something planned - they're going to need our help. The navy can always send more ships, but if we lose the Duchess now we may never see her again. We have to go help the assault!"
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His brain working overtime, Jebs
mind begins to work through what has happened.
"Ellena's right. I'd I had such a powerful mage on my side, I'd use him to defend me, not send him on some lone attack on a relatively unimportant ship. Unless it was a diversion. It might even be entirely an illusion. Either way, it's not our mission. Let's focus on our assigned task and go get the Duchess."
By the time you reach the sea wall, you've lost sight of the mage. Miselle did observe two things of possible interest: before he turned to smoke, the warrior's flaming sword switched shapes between a short blade and some kind of long flaming flail or whip. Also, there's just a little fresh
blood on the sea wall, probably from the attacker.
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As they moved, Miselle called out, "His magic is Fey. He is most likely a Vekeshi Mystic." Well, if they could find some cold iron, it might help against that monster...
"Fey?! That is just the kind of good news we are needing right now..." Az comments as he moves toward the fortress with the others.
Nodding in agreement as Miselle displays an impressive grasp of the magical world, Corynne pauses, a memory from her studies bringing to mind a tale of one who fit that description and fought with similar weapons.
"Asrabey. There were stories of a fey warrior who matched that description at a battle 200 years ago during the First Yerasol War. His name was Asrabey." she says cocking her head to the side as she remembers the details.
"I always found the tale fascinating because supposedly he he fought to rescue a high elf woman who was captured by a Danoran general, wielding a flaming sword and a flying shield. He wasn't really an ally but indirectly his actions aided Risuri forces. Perhaps powerful fey really do live that long." she says with a trace of wonder in her voice.
Between Miselle and Corynne, you're able to deduce that Asrabey probably works for the Unseen Court. This is troubling, as the duchess has been Risuri's liason there for decades. Unfortunately, you currently have no idea where he is, and there's plenty to do during the assault on the outer wall. Sergeant Glassman reminds you not to get too close to any major action, as "You can't take charge of the duchess if you're dead."
With surprise and numbers on your side, it only takes about 45min for your forces to breach the outer wall - although the inner keep will be a much tougher nut to crack. About 15min later, while the siege weapons are being moved into position to attack the inner wall, a lightly-wounded Risuri infantryman approaches you. "Infantryman Sander Wodeham, at your service, constables. My apologies for disturbing you, but there's a Danoran who wants to speak with you. Says he owes you a debt for freeing him, or something. He's pretty beaten up; we found him tussling with some of the duchess' defenders on the outer wall."
"Fey! Of course it had to be fey, bloody unpredictable creatures."
Restless for the forced inaction while a battle is being fought, Alice polishes her sword until Wodeham arrives. "Thank you, soldier. Go get that hand patched up."
"Who's the Danoran, lads? Reckon the foreman followed us here?"
"I am thinking it is probably the Danoran we freed earlier to be distraction before assault on lighthouse started."
"Miselle should probably take the lead, if he's Danoran."
"Good to hear that he's grateful, hopefully he witnessed something while in captivity that might prove useful." Corynne surmises. "Sen him in on your way to the medic." she says to the soldier.
Infantryman Woedham salutes and heads off to see a medic as you go in the direction he indicated. As you might have suspected, the Danoran turns out to be Lieutenant Hessar Marseine. He's nursing some fresh wounds but seems rather cheerful. "It's a fine, bloody day, isn't it, monsieurs and madames? I've been able to take some vengeance on those Risuri swine who captured my fort!" He pauses, and looks slightly embarrassed. "Um ... not that I think ALL Risuri are swine, of course. I mean, you had the decency to free me, and your soldiers have basically left me alone, so that's good. And I think I'd prefer your people win this spat, seeing as the duchess locked me up in the first place. Anyway, I thought you might find this useful."
He hands you a metal key. "I was able to hide this before getting locked up. It opens the roof door in the central keep. Also, there's an old sewer system under the keep that isn't on any of the official maps. There's entrances in a few of the buildings around here; you'll just have to deal with some gates and a whole bunch of s~$%."
Miselle nodded, taking the key. "Thank you, monsieur. Both Danor and Risur will owe you a debt. We fight now to prevent the war the duchess wishes to start, that our king has ordered stopped."
She glanced at the others. "Knowledge of the sewers will help any attack, and if we can get a unit on to the roof storming from above and below will save lives on both sides."
"Definitely." Corynne replies. "Using the climbing and top entry tactic we did with the light hose, will be very effective with the key to gain entry. Add a sewer approach and we have a vertical pincher maneuver."
"Do we have enough potions to climb the keep? I used the last of mine at the lighthouse. We should probably also heal before we move again."
A muscle twitches in Alice's cheek at Marseine's word choice, but his backpedaling and offer of help prevent her from exploding.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." she says through her teeth. "Since that fey's around, I don't think that splitting again would be wise. I say we tell the army about the sewers, then head for the roof as soon as we breach the inner wall. We'll have to find stairs, hopefully there will be siege ladders or somesuch."
"Hmm...is probably true that we should not be splitting up again. At very least it will let us keep track of each other if the fey shows up again. It is no good if we split up now and lose half our group before we can meet up again. Could've happened before maybe, but before we did not have damned fairies running around."
A flash of red-orange light illuminates the street from above, and as it streaks by, you hear footsteps sprint across the roof of a nearby building. You hear shouts of dismay, a gunshot, and then more shouting. A soldier runs past yelling, "The fire monster's coming!"
Then you see an entity leap from the roof and into the street, sprinting for the inner wall. The figure resembles a cloud of smoke with a faint humanoid outline inside illuminated by an orange glow.
A couple defenders on the wall start firing arrows, and you hear an audible curse of pain from the smoky entity. He ducks behind a bit of debris down the street, 80ft from the wall - about 120ft from your current position. He pulls out an orb that glows with white light, which pierces even his smoky shroud.
The whole street begins to shake as cobblestones shatter upward and iron spikes burst out of the ground and begin to float. A few nearby soldiers cry out in shock as the space they're occupying becomes a tangle of jungle. Up on the wall of the keep, the duchess' defenders scream as the wall beneath them turns to mist and they plummet to their deaths on a lightly-wooded field.
In an area roughly 200ft across, the landscape that was the fortress is commingled with a day-lit jungle landscape. Only in places with enough iron does the original landscape remain, while in a few pockets (typically around the edges), other landscapes flicker in and out - a fiery rockslide, a swamp with yellow frogs, a beige bank of clouds. You notice the edges are shrinking inward slowly, and you can guess this wildly-powerful magic will only last a minute or two.
On the other side of the commingled terrain, you can make out the keep where you suspect the duchess is, and a huge tangle of brush around it. The smoky entity discards his orb and runs through the temporary gap in the inner wall. He casually lashes out a whip of flame to kill a defender who tries to get in his path, and then sprints onward into the keep.
The light in the orb is slowly fading; the effect will end in a minute or two.
Miselle moved towards the gap, then paused. "The defenders attacked him too. He is a third party. Now is the best chance to strike and subdue, while they fight each other. If we are to arrest her, we must go quickly. Through that." She pointed the gun barrel at the strange gap.
"Bloody hells...." the dwarf mutters, seemingly in awe. After another moment, though, he brings himself back to reality, looking over toward Miselle. "Is good news that at least he is not on their side." he comments. "Aye, that is a perfect new point of entry for us, and the guards will be too busy fighting him to notice us. Is best chance for us to get in."
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~477 a.O.V.~
Uncomfortable in the long, blue dress, a long-haired, seven years old Alice is sitting on the bench, next to her older brother and her pregnant mother. The preacher is babbling about the Old Faith, and the girl is getting bored, yearning for a game of tag with her friends. But something, somehow, catches her attention. The preacher is speaking about the Dreaming, the hidden world of the Fey, which only powerful magic can reach, but where minds easily fly when asleep. Alice always enjoyed stories about the Dreaming, that strange world of fantasy where the unusual seems normal and viceversa, where the laws of nature did not apparently apply. For a while, she listens to the man speaking about the spirits inhabiting the place. One day she thinks I'll visit the Dreaming and become a princess of the Hidden Court.
Shaking the memory out of her mind, Alice draws the sword and the pistol. "That swamp with yellow frogs, just like it happened while we were walking. It must be fey magic, perhaps moving through their realm."
She hesitates a moment. "I don't trust fey magic, but if he takes the Duchess to the Hidden Court, we'll never see her again, so let's just hope that this is just a passage. Let's go then! Glassman, with me! "
With a fast, cadenced step, she heads towards the rift.
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Why is she always yelling?
Ellena follows Alice into the temporary jungle, trying her best both not to trip over fey roots and to keep an eye on Asrabey.
You've straddled two worlds all this time....why not brave a third.
Corynne takes it all in her mind processing the powerful magic she witnesses. Like before it would seem that though not quite allies, the fey would aid their purpose. Raising the pendant she always wore she kisses it for luck, feeling the comfort of her mother's presence as she begins to run toward the gap, crossbow loaded and held in hand.
As soon as you enter the gap in the wall, the air changes and grows more humid. Somewhere above you must be the sun, as the area is brightly lit. Moments later, the fortress wall snaps back into existence behind you, blocking your way back. A few dozen feet in front of you is a large hedge maze. The top of the hedge is burning in several points; apparently the fey ran across the tops of the eight-foot-high walls.
You're not alone. Some kind of fey creature is furiously beating his large club at a patch of flame at one edge of the labyrinth. A moment later, it's extinguished, and that small patch of hedge withers to ash, creating a path into the maze. Suddenly noticing you, the fey shouts, "Your flaming friend may have gotten by me, but I shall not let you pass! None shall harm Lady Ethelyn!" With that, he steps through the hedge wall and disappears from sight.
"Our orders are not to harm her," Miselle replied, "But to arrest her, by command of her lawful king. What are the orders of the creature - Asrabey - in regards to her?" Raising the gun to readiness, she called out, "Our orders are, at least, to bring her to the king alive."
Moving to the entrance of the maze, Miselle scanned back and forth. If the creature could merge with the hedges...
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Jeb stares openmouthed at the strange swamp, his mind trying to process something entirely beyond his comprehension. He comes to when the others suggest urgently following, and quickly tags along, still trying to process what is happening.
"I must take time out to study these phenomena, when this is over." he mutters to himself.
Her voice steady, Alice loudly addresses the fey.
"I'll tell you more! If that fireslinging bastard is actually trying to kill her, we're her only chance of getting away alive from this cursed island! My word of honor as a soldier and a child of Risur!"
I am thinking the thing will give not two figs for your word of honor..."[/b] the dwarf growls, taking a quick moment to extract the ball from his musket and replace it with one made of cold iron. "But I'd wager my beard it'll give one about getting hit with one of these.
"Lies! Asrabey would never do such a thing! You're just patsies for the Danorans!" The fey effortlessly steps through a nearby hedge and attempts to bludgeon Azaghal over the head. He must have seen the cold iron musket ball.