Ezreal sits back pushing away from the dragonshard while looking around at the others. "So he is leading a group of warforged who are currently under siege. I doubt any one of us believes he will willingly jump out of there once we arrive unless we can bring his troops with us. It might be possible with the tent, but this complicates things. Are we ready to proceed? If he will not leave we can assess the situation and move on if that is what needs to happen."
"Given the situation I think you may want to be prepared for battle. Selkatiri should probably wait this out in the tent." Ezreal prepares to cast greater teleportation unless anyone objects.
As the group prepare to launch their rescue attempt, a page knocks on their door. "Father Xativa, there is someone here to see you."
"Oh?" Rodergo glances around at his companions. "Send them in."
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The page bobs his head and returns a few minutes later with two warforged in tow. One is heavily-armoured models, much like Lightbringer. It walks in and stands near the door. It stares at the floor and largely ignores the adventurers.
The other strides in more purposefully. It is a more lithe, silver armoured type. "Father Xativa, it is good to see you again," it says in a feminine-sounding voice. "I hope that you remember me - I am Faith."
"Faith! Why of course I remember you! What brings you here? Surely ... It cannot entirely be coincidence? The Flame moves in mysterious ways ..."
"Isn't it obvious, Rod? She's pregnant, and you are the father!"
Faith gives Janosz a level look. "I think that is unlikely."
She turns back to Rodergo. "But I think there may be an element of pre-destination. After you rescued me from the Cannith woman I recuperated with the kalashtar. It was there I met with 773 again." She indicates the other warforged. "I had time to think about my life and my purpose. I have been given... powers, with which I can do good. I should use them, like Lightbringer, the change things for the better. I wanted to talk to Lightbringer, to ask his advice, but I understand he is no longer with you. Is he... Is he still functional?"
"You arrived in time, Faith. It seems Lightbringer has gotten himself into a bit of a situation." Haladon smiles.
The changeling nods, "Indeed. And we intend to go to his aid. Are you able and prepared to join us? We can use your help. 773, would you be willing to join us? It will be dangerous - and we expect that we will be facing a fighting force of warforged, but we do not know for certain. We understand if you prefer to remain here."
Faith straightens. "Of course I will come with you!"
773 doesn't reply, or even particularly acknowledge Gil's question. "773 doesn't communicate easily," says Faith. "I am not too sure why it is following me, to be honest, though I assume it feels the same draw that I do, given our shared past. Nevertheless, I am sure we can both be of use."
“Praise the Flame – we would welcome your help Faith,” says Rodergo. “When we last saw Lightbringer he had given himself up as a captive of the Lord of Blades and the warforged called Darkheart, in the Mournlands. Based on the scrying we have just undertaken, it seems as if he has somehow escaped that situation but is now under siege along with a small group of warforged allies … that possibly he has converted to worship of the Flame?”
The cleric turns to the others. “We had planned a quick rescue; teleport in, grab Lightbringer, teleport out. I … strongly suspect that will now not be possible, given the situation Lightbringer is in. With our other priorities, we can’t afford to sit out a protracted siege, but I highly doubt Lightbringer will leave with us if he leaves friends in danger. He’s that sort of paladin … see to his friends first, save the world second. However, we will have the drop on his enemies – we need to turn the tables, break the siege.”
"Or jump in, grab the lot of them, and jump back out. How many allies did he have? Ezreal, how many can you include in your spell?"
Ezreal watches Faith and 773 with furrowed brows, curious about what drew them in at this precise moment. "Too many. We will have to use the tent, even for our arrival. I can teleport myself and four others."
"Then we must choose who is to go within and without the tent. I believe I should go without, to defend us while someone re-opens the tent."
"I want Gil on the initial team to bring us in invisibly and hide us if necessary while we get the tent set up. Then as Kazadar suggests we need to be able to defend our position while we get the tent open. Kazadar, Janosz and Haladon I think. Kazadar, before we go you are aware that healing magic is not functional in the Mournlands? Extradimensional spaces should allow us to get around that this time, but during or immediately after battle it will likely be impossible."
"That sounds like a good team. With Kazadar outside, I'll stay in the tent for emergency healing, along with Faith and 773, if all agree?"
"I had read something to that effect. What of divine magic? Channeled energy of the Sovereigns? The portable hole seems quicker to deploy than the tent, for healing's sake."
"Everyone else in the tent. Those getting teleported, link a hand with your neighbor so you know where your allies are. Ezreal, you will be the center of the effect - when you attack, everyone become visible. For the rest of us, attacking only affects our own invisibility. So I will aid someone in setting up the tent right away. Everybody good?"
"Yes." Kazadar says, solemnly. "I will withhold empowering myself with blessings from the Sovereigns, lest they be wasted in an uneventful arrival. Or do we think that foolish? I have only read of the Mournland, never have been there. Will my blessings function if I cast them here, or will they be nullified? Or is it only the healing of flesh that is prevented?"
"We don't know how quickly you will need to bring those to bear. We might find that our destination is not actually immediately next to the combat - though I am planning that it will be. As I recall, some magic does not perform exactly as expected - there are the living spells, after all - but, in general, magic other than healing worked normally." She looks at the others, "Isn't that about the sum of it?"
"Okay. It is time to do this before the situation changes too much on the other side." Once everyone who is going in the tent is inside, Ezreal links hands with the others and begins casting.
Ezreal chants the syllables and focusses his mind. With an act of will he tears a hole in the fabric of the universe, using it to transport himself and his companions to Lightbringer's location.
They arrive in a courtyard. High walls rise on either side, with a gatehouse both ahead or behind them - presumably a barbican. As they look about they can see catapults on the top of the towers hurling missiles. Warforged stand in the bailey, swords drawn and waiting, their expressionless faces showing no tension. Then, with a thundering roar, something crashes into the gatehouse ahead. The top of the tower collapses in a shower of masonry and falling metallic bodies. A battered and bent metal canister careens into the yard, cruhing several of the waiting soldiers and splitting open. A massive shimmering blue blob immediately crawls out of the wreckage, pseudopods thrashing and flattening a few more warforged.
Gil is immediately searching for a place that should be out of the scrum for a minute or so to set up the tent. Mentally cursing herself for not preparing better, she casts message on those she can
"Looks like we've arrived just as the fun's getting even more serious. We need to set up the tent as soon as possible. Do we usher everyone in and pop back out? Or stay and fight?"
"We load everyone into the tent and then get the hell outta here. We can't face a besieging army, especially one that throws things like that around. And now the front wall is gone, too."
Rodergo will be remaining near the entry of the tent, ready to spring into action when required , along with Selkatiri, Faith and 773.
"Oh well, let's see if this thing feels any pain."
Gil is spending her action looking for a place to set up the tent, hopefully outside of the courtyard and looking for Lightbringer. When she spots him, she will message him.
Of course, Janosz' attack on the living spell will nullify the invisibility effect he was under, but only for him.
While Gil is getting the tent set up, Ezreal studies the tentacled horror emerging from the pod. Weaponized living spells? Fascinating. I wonder if they can sustain themselves outside of the Mournland? "Haladon, Kazadar, stay close enough to defend the tent if it becomes necessary."
Ezreal gets very little time to study the living spell as Janosz obliterates it with several well-positioned arrow.
However, as Janosz appears in the bailey a yell goes up. "Intruder in the barbican! Open fire!"
"Stand down, you wretched factory failures! Tell Lightbringer his old buddy Janosz is here to save his rusty ass. And stop shooting at me, or I'll f*&+ you all up like I did that living spell!"
The gates at the south swing open and a familiar warforged shape strides through.
“Cease attacking the human,” calls the warforged paladin. “He is an ally – a friend. Secure the watchtower.”
Lightbringer continues to stride towards Janosz. “Janosz? Are you injured? Thankyou for coming here, it is good to see you again; are you alone?”