Ariel looked down and wrung her hands in her lap. It was optimistic that they would be able to subdue the hagravens with how they would react to their home being invaded. It was painful to think that their fates would be on the line. "Very well," Ariel replied , her eyes avoiding Meesei's, "And, don't worry, I know Lilia. If she doesn't turn up to retrieve her equipment before even attempting to help defend, she will already be dead. She has always thought more about herself than the coven."
After a pause, Janius spoke up again. "Right then, so, to reiterate... we approach from here," Janius pointed to the map where he needed to, "Ariel and Ahnasha infiltrate under here... we distract them for a time outside, then scale the ruined tower here... Ariel finds this 'Lilia' and makes her forget... we move to this tower and fight the oldest and most powerful creatures in the keep... then we wait until these two other towers go up in flames, we escape along this wall to the ruined tower again, then we get out of there." Janius looked up at Meesei, "Then meet at a rally point of sorts that we decide upon at the start. Is that correct?"
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Let Slip the Corgis of War
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Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
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Realising Meesei's idea, Sabine looked up and stared into the fire for a moment. After considering, she looked at Meesei again. "I will look." Sabine wasted no time in standing up and looking around the storage areas she had not yet covered for supplies. There was every chance that the hunters could have had fire salts, and if they did, it would definitely add to the flexibility of their plan. Fire salt bombs were risky to carry around, but they would prove their worth if they could be used to set off the laboratory, or also the fire runes, from a distance.
"If you are thinking what I think you're thinking, that's a good idea," Ariel agreed, "if we have any fire salts, we will have more options as we go about this." She handed the spell reflection potion to Meesei, "As I understand it, your own spells will not be affected by the potion. I cannot guarantee that the hagravens will not see through your illusion, however. Like I said, they are very old and wise."
Sabine emerged back to the group in a surprisingly short amount of time. She carried in her hands a jar of orange powder retrieved from the crates of spices. Carefully, she removed the wide cork stopper from the jar and tossed a pinch of the powder into the fire. There was no reaction as far as anyone could tell. Replacing the cork, Sabine took the jar back and continued to search.
"How do we... incapacitate these hagravens?" Fendros asked, wondering what manner of creature they were exactly.
Ariel waved a hand dismissively, "They can be knocked out just the same as anyone. A sharp blow to the back of the head would suffice. Or if you have what you need, a way to put them to sleep by magical or alchemical means may be easier. I think."
"So they aren't so different to anyone else then?"
"You need to see them to understand." Ariel clarified, "Just don't try to best them without the potion and you should be fine."
This time, Sabine returned with a small clay pot. Removing the lid and tossing a pinch of the powder it contained into the fire caused a large flume of sparks. It seemed like they had found their fire salts.
Ariel smiled at Sabine's discovery. "Excellent. How much did you find?" Ariel asked, lifting her head to try and see into the jar. Sabine walked around the fire and showed her. "Good, good. Do you think there is enough to make about eight flasks and some fuses with that?" Ariel asked, looking to her sister's face. Sabine looked up and chewed on her lip for a moment, then shrugged unassuredly. Ariel was not too fazed, but her smile faded a small amount, "Well, there is probably enough to make what we'll need. If worse comes to worse, I have some fire salts at the shop that I can collect."
Janius wiped one eye and spoke up. "I'm sorry, I think you've lost me. How do the fire salts help us here?"
"If you are thinking what I think you're thinking, that's a good idea," Ariel agreed, "if we have any fire salts, we will have more options as we go about this." She handed the spell reflection potion to Meesei, "As I understand it, your own spells will not be affected by the potion. I cannot guarantee that the hagravens will not see through your illusion, however. Like I said, they are very old and wise."
Sabine emerged back to the group in a surprisingly short amount of time. She carried in her hands a jar of orange powder retrieved from the crates of spices. Carefully, she removed the wide cork stopper from the jar and tossed a pinch of the powder into the fire. There was no reaction as far as anyone could tell. Replacing the cork, Sabine took the jar back and continued to search.
"How do we... incapacitate these hagravens?" Fendros asked, wondering what manner of creature they were exactly.
Ariel waved a hand dismissively, "They can be knocked out just the same as anyone. A sharp blow to the back of the head would suffice. Or if you have what you need, a way to put them to sleep by magical or alchemical means may be easier. I think."
"So they aren't so different to anyone else then?"
"You need to see them to understand." Ariel clarified, "Just don't try to best them without the potion and you should be fine."
This time, Sabine returned with a small clay pot. Removing the lid and tossing a pinch of the powder it contained into the fire caused a large flume of sparks. It seemed like they had found their fire salts.
Ariel smiled at Sabine's discovery. "Excellent. How much did you find?" Ariel asked, lifting her head to try and see into the jar. Sabine walked around the fire and showed her. "Good, good. Do you think there is enough to make about eight flasks and some fuses with that?" Ariel asked, looking to her sister's face. Sabine looked up and chewed on her lip for a moment, then shrugged unassuredly. Ariel was not too fazed, but her smile faded a small amount, "Well, there is probably enough to make what we'll need. If worse comes to worse, I have some fire salts at the shop that I can collect."
Janius wiped one eye and spoke up. "I'm sorry, I think you've lost me. How do the fire salts help us here?"
Ha! Nice timing. I do one last check of the forums before going to bed and you've made a post. I reckon I'll make one more before heading to sleep.
No problem. G'night!
Ariel closed her eyes for a moment and nodded to Ahnasha. For Meesei's request, she had to sit and think for a moment. "The witches would indeed carry around such potions, if a few between them. As for a position... well... the first consideration would be the ruined tower. There are still some walls to hide behind for cover and... no, they will be able to attack you from the walls either side." She tilted her head to one side and itched at her ear, most places in the fort were either too far away from the ruined tower itself to escape or weren't suitable for defending from. "Your best bet may be the hagraven nest in this tower. There is a door out to the wall from there where you can get back to the ruined tower to escape, and you would only have to defend the staircase of the upper level and the door to the other wall, but..." Ariel curled her brow in concern, "... if the hagravens had not been disturbed by that point, you would have to drive them out. That might be difficult."
"What exactly is a hagraven?" Janius asked slowly.
Ariel took a breath. "They are our spiritual leaders. Old witches. Old and powerful. They would likely not be so devoted to Clavicus Vile for they are wiser than that, but if we encroach upon them, they will react violently. You'll recognise them easily, they are hunched, and have some feathers growing from their arms. They are powerful mages as well, our most powerful."
"So how do we deal with them?" Janius followed up.
Pursing her lips again, Ariel became concerned that her old mentors might come to harm, but there may not be another way around it. "When we went scouting, I brought along this." Ariel got up, retrieved her spell reflection potion from her bag and showed it to everyone, "This is a valuable and powerful potion I made some time ago. It alters the magical state of your body for a time to reflect the effects of spells back to their caster for about twenty minutes. If you drink it, the hagravens wouldn't risk bringing their magic to bear on you. It would just be a matter of incapacitating them by some means. I think the distracting group can make more use out of it," She looked around to each of their faces, "Who should carry it around?"
"What exactly is a hagraven?" Janius asked slowly.
Ariel took a breath. "They are our spiritual leaders. Old witches. Old and powerful. They would likely not be so devoted to Clavicus Vile for they are wiser than that, but if we encroach upon them, they will react violently. You'll recognise them easily, they are hunched, and have some feathers growing from their arms. They are powerful mages as well, our most powerful."
"So how do we deal with them?" Janius followed up.
Pursing her lips again, Ariel became concerned that her old mentors might come to harm, but there may not be another way around it. "When we went scouting, I brought along this." Ariel got up, retrieved her spell reflection potion from her bag and showed it to everyone, "This is a valuable and powerful potion I made some time ago. It alters the magical state of your body for a time to reflect the effects of spells back to their caster for about twenty minutes. If you drink it, the hagravens wouldn't risk bringing their magic to bear on you. It would just be a matter of incapacitating them by some means. I think the distracting group can make more use out of it," She looked around to each of their faces, "Who should carry it around?"
"Just leave the sabotage to me," Ariel said, "I can place explosive fire runes around the laboratory that I can set off with a small lightning spell. We should only need a few for the gas to do the rest of the work. As for the storage, however, we might need to break open a few of the crates so enough of them get caught to explode in turn. We may need more runes in that area as well, just to be safe. The biggest risk is if one set of runes are triggered before we can set up the other. At that point our intentions may be compromised."
Fendros inspected the equipment he had found as he listened to the discussion. The sword was an old steel sword that wasn't made as well as his own, but with a sharpen and an oil it would suffice. "Are those runes safe to be around?" He asked.
"Yes... mostly..." Ariel shifted in place, "if we take care, they will be. Just in case, though, Ahnasha, I will need you to keep watch while I place the runes. If anyone walks in and triggers them accidentally, we might be caught in the blast."
Janius was the next one to chime in. His headache had faded now, but he still didn't look too happy. "What should we expect from the opposition. These witches wield powerful magic, yes?"
"That is true. Like Meesei said, they will likely stay on the walls and fire spells down while the sentinels keep you occupied on the ground. The sentinels are not smart or especially skilled or fast, but they can be tough. Hitting them will put a strain on the magic keeping them together if it displaces the bones, so try hitting them in unarmoured spots. And don't try to cut, you won't get far, just hit them with force. In fact, a mace might be more appropriate than an axe or a sword if you can find them." Ariel held one hand in the other as she recalled the witches' skills, "As for the witches themselves, they may just try to scare you off at first with flashy spells, but failing that, they will throw down ice and fire at you. They are fond of spells that cover an area, so dodging them may be difficult. Your best chance is to obscure yourselves as best as you can while you approach." turning to Meesei, Ariel put up one hand, seeking clarification, "Meesei, how well can you sustain a large ward?"
Fendros inspected the equipment he had found as he listened to the discussion. The sword was an old steel sword that wasn't made as well as his own, but with a sharpen and an oil it would suffice. "Are those runes safe to be around?" He asked.
"Yes... mostly..." Ariel shifted in place, "if we take care, they will be. Just in case, though, Ahnasha, I will need you to keep watch while I place the runes. If anyone walks in and triggers them accidentally, we might be caught in the blast."
Janius was the next one to chime in. His headache had faded now, but he still didn't look too happy. "What should we expect from the opposition. These witches wield powerful magic, yes?"
"That is true. Like Meesei said, they will likely stay on the walls and fire spells down while the sentinels keep you occupied on the ground. The sentinels are not smart or especially skilled or fast, but they can be tough. Hitting them will put a strain on the magic keeping them together if it displaces the bones, so try hitting them in unarmoured spots. And don't try to cut, you won't get far, just hit them with force. In fact, a mace might be more appropriate than an axe or a sword if you can find them." Ariel held one hand in the other as she recalled the witches' skills, "As for the witches themselves, they may just try to scare you off at first with flashy spells, but failing that, they will throw down ice and fire at you. They are fond of spells that cover an area, so dodging them may be difficult. Your best chance is to obscure yourselves as best as you can while you approach." turning to Meesei, Ariel put up one hand, seeking clarification, "Meesei, how well can you sustain a large ward?"
Mkay, that's fine.
Right, I am never having skittle bombs ever again. The good news is that I'll not be doing much for the rest of the day!
Opting to be prompt about it, Ariel put down the uneaten part of her breakfast and fetched some writing equipment and a scroll of parchment from where she last retrieved them for the resisting potion recipe. While she ate her breakfast, she drew a rough top-down sketch of the coven and the immediate landscape, marking where sentinels would normally be watching from and their patrol routes, and labeling some landmarks. Fendros and Janius looked on while it was being drawn. For some reason, Fendros thought the coven would be bigger. Some system of caves or a large tower. He had to admit that he didn't really know much about witches in the first place, so it was no surprise that the actual coven would be different.
Janius didn't sit around for long, however. Before Ariel finished, he got up and walked to the areas he had previously searched for drink last night. "I think I may have spotted some things we could use over here..." He started to rummage through, before turning to Fendros, "Hey Fendros, have a look through the hunters' equipment I gathered the other day," He pointed to the piles of weapons and armour situated out of the way from when he picked the useful equipment off the hunters in the cave after they took it over. "There's probably a bow in there that doesn't have silver on it, maybe a shield that'll suit you too."
Fendros nodded, eating his last mouthful of breakfast and getting up to search the equipment. With the way Janius had sorted it, it wasn't difficult to find a round shield that wasn't too heavy, a bow and a quiver, but not a sword or single arrow. All of the ones that the hunters had been carrying were silver. Luckily, Janius pulled out a couple of blades, one of which would suffice.
To equip himself, Janius decided to use the second sword that he had found, a heavier steel shield and one of the hunters' helmets. Looking over the different two handed weapons of the hunters, Janius spoke back to the campfire, "Lorag, there's an old hammer and claymore here, did you want to have a look?"
Once Ariel had finished her breakfast and her sketch, they gathered around to observe the layout. "Here and here are the towers we will need to destroy, we know that they housed the poison there." Ariel explained, pointing to various areas as needed "The ruined tower is here, whether you want to approach from that direction is up to you, but as long as you leave this side clear-" Ariel gestured to the side of the fort with the culvert, "-we should have no problem sneaking in. There is a grate under the wall here that Meesei and I used last night. As long as the damage to it wasn't discovered, it should still be viable. As for patrols..." Ariel pointed to X's marked on the map denoting sentinel positions, "There will be groups of three to five sentinels walking outside and inside the walls, as well as solitary sentinels on top of the walls and the intact towers." Ariel sat back a little, explaining all she believed she needed to for now, "I'm unsure where the witch with the knowledge of the gas' recipe will be, but I think she is likely to show herself to protect the laboratory at a time of danger like the one you will represent." Ariel put her hands together, "I suppose what is first is to decide which way to approach from."
Janius didn't sit around for long, however. Before Ariel finished, he got up and walked to the areas he had previously searched for drink last night. "I think I may have spotted some things we could use over here..." He started to rummage through, before turning to Fendros, "Hey Fendros, have a look through the hunters' equipment I gathered the other day," He pointed to the piles of weapons and armour situated out of the way from when he picked the useful equipment off the hunters in the cave after they took it over. "There's probably a bow in there that doesn't have silver on it, maybe a shield that'll suit you too."
Fendros nodded, eating his last mouthful of breakfast and getting up to search the equipment. With the way Janius had sorted it, it wasn't difficult to find a round shield that wasn't too heavy, a bow and a quiver, but not a sword or single arrow. All of the ones that the hunters had been carrying were silver. Luckily, Janius pulled out a couple of blades, one of which would suffice.
To equip himself, Janius decided to use the second sword that he had found, a heavier steel shield and one of the hunters' helmets. Looking over the different two handed weapons of the hunters, Janius spoke back to the campfire, "Lorag, there's an old hammer and claymore here, did you want to have a look?"
Once Ariel had finished her breakfast and her sketch, they gathered around to observe the layout. "Here and here are the towers we will need to destroy, we know that they housed the poison there." Ariel explained, pointing to various areas as needed "The ruined tower is here, whether you want to approach from that direction is up to you, but as long as you leave this side clear-" Ariel gestured to the side of the fort with the culvert, "-we should have no problem sneaking in. There is a grate under the wall here that Meesei and I used last night. As long as the damage to it wasn't discovered, it should still be viable. As for patrols..." Ariel pointed to X's marked on the map denoting sentinel positions, "There will be groups of three to five sentinels walking outside and inside the walls, as well as solitary sentinels on top of the walls and the intact towers." Ariel sat back a little, explaining all she believed she needed to for now, "I'm unsure where the witch with the knowledge of the gas' recipe will be, but I think she is likely to show herself to protect the laboratory at a time of danger like the one you will represent." Ariel put her hands together, "I suppose what is first is to decide which way to approach from."
Speaking of drinking, I've got to run off to attend a pubcrawl. G'night!
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