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Redlun XXXVI
You have just entered room "Missiledine Chat22."
Dukejr01 has entered the room.
Dukejr01: nevermind then!
Missiledine: LOL! Beat ya to it!
Missiledine: The Fastest Mouse in the East!
Dukejr01: Curses!
Missiledine: Ok then... Here we go!
Dukejr01: whee!
Missiledine: The meal wraps up admidst much small talk of little importance. One of the Baron's servants thumps
on the floorboards for your attention... Calling upon the Lords, Abbot, officers to assemble in the Baron's study to disscuss the buisness at hand Everyone else is of course, excluded
Dukejr01: Athamar gets up and gestures for Ollyn to accompany him.
Missiledine: You may bring one or two people with you (Who do you take?)
Dukejr01: Do you want J there since she is a PC?
Missiledine: <Yeak, it'll give Troy something to do when he gets here that won't tax my limited abilities>
Dukejr01: okay. J too
Dukejr01: Athamar files in turn. he is solicitous of the Abbot.
Missiledine: The library has been set up for the meeting with many extra chairs and several maps
Dukejr01: A has J carry his papers.
Missiledine: As everyone gets settled Brandy is brought around and pipes are lit
Missiledine: Once the servants are out the Baron will get up and "Harrumph!" A few times before speaking
Dukejr01: A doesn't smoke.
Dukejr01: <lol>
Missiledine: Looking around the room you see Lord Boma and one of his Lt.s, the Abbot and a Priest you don't
recognise, Beal, and five grim looking men that are apparently officers of the Baron's troops and a young, distinguished looking man you don't know: With the Baron, 15 all told
Missiledine: You are sitting with Ollyn and Jacinta to your left and the Abbot to your right. To his right is the
Dukejr01: quite a crew
Missiledine: Priest, who wears the Scarlet sash
Dukejr01: Athamar steeples his fingers.
Dukejr01: that means Champion?
Missiledine: The Baron takes a sip of Brandy and says...
Missiledine: <Yes>
Dukejr01: <k>
Missiledine: "Harrumph! We're hear to disscuss the situation that Lord Athamar has uncovered in the south and
to decide what is best done to correct it. Since Lord Athamar is most versed on the situation, I will turn it over to him to brief you all. Lord Athamar." The Baron waves you up and takes a seat
Dukejr01: Athamar nods. "Thank you, My Lord." He addresses the room....
Dukejr01: "I and several of my men encountered a small group of smugglers in the arid area south and west of...
these settled lands. Following the last survivor of that party revealed the presense of a base far to the south near the cliffs and subsquent interrogation of a prisoner yielded some additional information. The Smugglers number around 50 men, and are lead by a mage named Ahgali who is apparently of desert extraction. Their base is largely underground, consisting of several natural and manmade caverns. Including a long secret passage down to the bottom of the cliff thru which they exchange smuggled goods and Velitar captives." Athamar expression tightens at that.
Missiledine: The group is listening intently
Dukejr01: "The prisoner was low ranking, but magical interrogation has extracted a rough map of the complex..."
Dukejr01: He gestures for Jacinta to give him the appropriate map.
Missiledine: She brings itup
Dukejr01: He unrolls it and uses whatever is handy to hold down the edges,. probably a couple knives.
Missiledine: There are several large sheets of paper and charcoal available to draw with
Dukejr01: okay. I am assuming A has all this mapped out already?
Missiledine: everyone, except the Abbot and Ollyn, get up to circle the table and see
Missiledine: <My assumption>
Dukejr01: "There is a two story tower that serves lookout both tothe dessert and to the north...." A points.
Dukejr01: "Surrrounding this ina perimeter there are 7 sentinal posts. in a rough semicircle."
Dukejr01: Again A gestures.
Dukejr01: "Guards are changed regularly, but there were no signs or countersigns for relief of the sentries..."
Dukejr01: "That of course may have changed since our encounter."
Missiledine: Everyone is silent listening to your description
Dukejr01: "Sentry posts are roofed pits with small apetures. The tower is always manned by two men..."
Dukejr01: As he talks about the tower, he unroll the sketch of it. pointing out features, "Trap door on roof,
Dukejr01: murder holes.... and the passage leading into the complex."
Missiledine: One of the hard men interrupts, "My Lord, is that the only Valley side entrance to the complex?
Missiledine: Through the tower?"
Dukejr01: Athamar looks up. "The only one that the prisoner knew, yes. There may be more, and that
Dukejr01: information I hope we can uncover."
Missiledine: This triggers a brief round of murmured questions and comments... "Hard fight for the tower... How
Missiledine: high is it? What is the visibility? How long is its perimiter? How many men can defend it? How many
Missiledine: loop holes are there? How thick are the gates and doors? Are they metal sheathed?"
Dukejr01: <how many of these question can A answer? :-) He interrogated the prisoner a long time.>
Dukejr01: A refers to his notes on that subject....
Missiledine: The height you would guess, from your info, is about 30'
Missiledine: There are said to be twelve loopholes on the second floor
Dukejr01: "The prisoner was limited in his information, from his memory I can estimate...
Missiledine: The doors arwe of wood with iron banding
Missiledine: The gates are mnetal
Missiledine: metal
Dukejr01: "the tower is about 30' high. twelve loopholes on the second floor. the doors are wood with iron
Dukejr01: banding, andthe gates are metal."
Missiledine: you would guess that the diameter of the tower is 35'
Missiledine: However it is not perfectly round
Dukejr01: "Diameter of the tower, about... 35 feet, although somewhat oblong."
Missiledine: The side to the desert is flattened, so the rounded side projects north like a capital 'D'
Dukejr01: okay. Athamar refers to the sketch.
Missiledine: you guess that this was a foundation issue in regards to the underground chambers
Dukejr01: hmmmmm....
Missiledine: the chambers run south mostly
Dukejr01: "The flatened portion faces the desert. I would guess that there was a foundation problem
Dukejr01: involving the underground chambers that runs south."
Dukejr01: <I am repeating you! :-D Isn't Arcetecture a cool skill?"
Missiledine: <lol>
Dukejr01: "further questions?"
Missiledine: The Priest speaks up, "Lord Athamar, what has become of the prisoner?"
Dukejr01: "The prisoner is in Redlun until it is decided what is to be done with him, Father." Athamar nods
Dukejr01: respectfully to him.
Missiledine: He nods acceptance
Dukejr01: Athamar unrolls the other maps. piecing them together to form the complex....
Dukejr01: <Correction. call him "Reverend">
Missiledine: <ok!>
Dukejr01: "This is the majer part of the underground complex. The entrance angles down and there is another
Dukejr01: set of gates before opening up into a central recieving area. from which there are 7 exits, including
Dukejr01: the entrance.....
Dukejr01: <shall I go into gory details?>
Missiledine: <Nah>
Missiledine: <Only if you want to make a point on something>
Dukejr01: Athamar points to the various features... he makes not of where the prisoner was NOT allowed to
Dukejr01: go. for example the Leaders rooms and the locked storeroom.
Missiledine: They hear you out in silence, then a of voices begin dissecting it.. This goes on till the Baron
Missiledine: calls for silence
Dukejr01: Athamar shuts.
Missiledine: He looks at the five hard men, his officers "Dell? What do you think?"
Missiledine: The oldest and grimmest stretches, thumps his pipe and says..."Fifty men, plus a mage, in a fortified
Dukejr01: <the baran has had most of this information for a few days>
Missiledine: tower, good visibility, prepared defenses... Tough fight. 200 men and a mage."
Missiledine: "Three hundred without a nmage, 20 % casualties either way. Most likely the enemy mage will escape."
Dukejr01: Athamar nods.
Dukejr01: thoughtfully
Missiledine: He sucks on his pipe and stares at the Baron
Missiledine: Lord Boma says, "Lord Athamar. You are a mage, yes?"
Missiledine: Everyone looks at you
Dukejr01: "Aye. my Lord. My earth magic will be useful, but I am not a battle mage."
Missiledine: Dell says. "You plan on going along, My Lord?"
Dukejr01: "Yes." Athamar says shortly.
tacit01 has entered the room.
tacit01: yo
Dukejr01: <troy. the troyster.....>
Missiledine: Dell goes on, "Can you destroy the tower, My Lord?"
Missiledine: <Welcome!>
Missiledine: <To summarize: You are present, with Athamar, in the big strategy council in the Baron's library.>
Missiledine: <Athamar has finished his presentation and now it is Question time>
Dukejr01: "No. I could breach it in a number of ways."
Dukejr01: <and Ollyn. with 15 guys. the Baron has 5 captains.>
Missiledine: The five put there heads together for a brief disscussion. One looks up "How big a breach?"
Dukejr01: I could take the gates off their hinges and make them fall..... or make a 3 foot wide hole in any
Dukejr01: wall. or possibly avoid the whole baliwack and drill down to the tunnel avoidinghe whole tower.
Dukejr01: that woudl take time however."
Missiledine: they put their heads together again for a few miuntes
Missiledine: Finally Dell says..."If Lor Athamar can open the gates, we can do it with the 20% casualties.
Missiledine: Pushing one or two men through a 3' breach will be costly. Bypassing the tower leaves us with a force
Missiledine: on either side and no easy retreat."
Dukejr01: "Given time I can build a ramp up the side of the tower, seal the loopholes, or breach the second
Missiledine: The Priest says, "Do we have anyidea what this other mage is capable of?"
Dukejr01: story while we go thru the roof trapdoor."
Missiledine: "How much time?" Lord Boma asks
Missiledine: "And how close do you have to get?" Dell adds
Dukejr01: Athmar should know this one. he has been casting shape earth alot
Dukejr01: <5 minutes for a ramp? and how close?>
Missiledine: <Well.... 30' high.. needs an angle of less then 45 degrees to assault it...
Missiledine: so the ramp has to be 60' long....
Missiledine: How far away are you able to go with a reasonable chance of success?>
Dukejr01: lets see. I was at -3 to cast sense foes all the way across the commons when the refugees showed
Dukejr01: the spell would only cost me 1 so I can try again if I miss
Dukejr01: Athamar draws some rough calculations using the charcoal and parchment.
Dukejr01: a 45 degree angle would be 30 foot long ramp. it wouldn't be an assault up that angle since there
Dukejr01: would be no one there to oppose them once it up
Missiledine: Sense Foes is an info spell, like Seeker... Move Earth isn't
Dukejr01: okay. so what are the range modifiers?
Missiledine: its a regular spell,penalty is distance in hexes
Dukejr01: okay
Missiledine: why wouldn't there be anyone to oppose them?
Dukejr01: two men in the tower. but they might get reinforced.
Missiledine: they are certain to be reinforced!
Dukejr01: Athamar mutters to himself as he calculates. "...probably too long..." he draws up some quick
Missiledine: "The problem is getting our force into assault distance without being seen. Once the alarm is given
Dukejr01: notes..... and shakes his head "fifteen minutes"
Missiledine: that tower fills up and it'll be a bitch to take."
Dukejr01: "for a ramp 60 foot long, 30 feet high to the roof."
Missiledine: "And once they realise a mage is out there, which will occur to even the densest defender when
Missiledine: the dirt starts to move...' Dell falls quiet
Missiledine: "You would need to be within bow shot?" Boma asks
Dukejr01: Athamar grunts. "what is that, err..., Jules, capable of? Two mages working in concert...."
Dukejr01: Athamar grins "Would have to be right there, yes."
Missiledine: Beal speaks up, "He is a fair combat mage, I've seen him toss a fireball and shoot jets of flame. But
Missiledine: that is about it."
Dukejr01: A fireball thru the loophole would do for the defenders there, it would take me a few seconds to drop
Dukejr01: the gates."
Missiledine: Dell nods, "Perhaps My lord..."
Missiledine: brb, need to let the dog out
Dukejr01: k
Dukejr01: "One matter, and this is something of a pie in the sky hope. His Eminence mentioned that a young "
Dukejr01: group of stalwarts took a similar complex years ago... If this were the same complex, perhaps they
Dukejr01: know of other entrances...."
Dukejr01: Athamar grins at the Abbot.
You have just entered room "Missiledine Chat22."
Missiledine: I'm back
You have just entered room "Dukejr01 Chat18."
Dukejr01: yay!
Missiledine: ok, I'm also in the old room now!
Dukejr01: lol
Missiledine: let me save that
Missiledine: one sec
Dukejr01: A can carry over the shape stone spell can't he? he can shape the gates and make them fall, and
Dukejr01: then close the murder holes?
Missiledine: ok
Missiledine: Uhm, well that depends if he wants to stand there doing it
Dukejr01: true
Missiledine: and if he gets interrupted in the process
Dukejr01: what was their gurad shift change like?
Dukejr01: all seven sentries changed at the same time?
Missiledine: no
Dukejr01: one at ta time?
Missiledine: they are staggered
Missiledine: two at a time usually, at opposite ends of the run
Dukejr01: clever
Dukejr01: anyway. did you get my last?
Missiledine: which was?
Dukejr01: about the group that took a similar complex years ago
Missiledine: oh, yes, sorry
Missiledine: The Abbot smiles and nods, "Thats right, there was such a group... But I don't know if this is the
Dukejr01: Did I ever answer the question about the mages capailities?
Missiledine: place. Nor do I know how the, err, remaining members feel about participating again."
Missiledine: <No>
Dukejr01: Athamar tilts his head.... considering
Dukejr01: A would have answered it this way... "He possible has a bird familiar, perhaps a Seeker spell of
Dukejr01: some sort he used to track us. My Master mentioned that Desert mages were often skilled in
Dukejr01: immusion and deception"
Dukejr01: <illusion>
Missiledine: "A Familiar eh?" The Priest says. "That may be a vulnerability."
Missiledine: The Baron grunts, "I shall bring my hawks! Perhaps we shall have some sport of it!"
Dukejr01: A is pondering....
Dukejr01: <hello?>
Missiledine: sorry, fixing the site files
Dukejr01: <k>
Missiledine: while you pondered
Dukejr01: <lol>
Missiledine: there is a general silence while everyone contemplates the papers in front of them. Finally Lord Boma
Missiledine: says, "How many men DO we have?"
Missiledine: The Baron looks at the Abbot, "How many Sacarium Guard can we count on?"
Missiledine: The Abbot is sipping his brandy and looks up and smiles. "None. As we discussed, it is not our remit
Missiledine: to get involved in this."
Dukejr01: Athamar expected that.
Missiledine: The Baron growls something incomprehensible
Dukejr01: "I have 13 men-at-arms."
Missiledine: The Abbot says, "Reverend Aldar," He nods to the young priest, "Will accompany you unofficially. He
Missiledine: will have a two man bodyguard."
Missiledine: Lord Boma says, "I can bring 23, without stripping my defenses to zero."
Dukejr01: Athamar looks at Ollyn. raises an eyebrow.
Missiledine: The Baron sighs, "I do not wish to strip all my men from their posistions, parts of the Barony are
Missiledine: vulnerable to river pirates..." He considers, "I will lead 75." He looks to the unidentified young
Missiledine: man. "How does the Count stand on this?"
Missiledine: The stranger sets his drink aside. "As Deputy Sheriff for the County, I will bring 12 Rangers. The
Missiledine: Count has authorised the release of 50 men at arms in addition."
Missiledine: There is a long silence
Missiledine: Dell says, "Have you heard back from the Duke, My Lord?"
Missiledine: The Baron shakes his head
Missiledine: "Nothing happens quickly in Drunmore." Someone mutters
Dukejr01: <well, that is nearly 200>
Dukejr01: <and they lost a few>
Missiledine: the captains have their heads together.... Finally Dell says, "With Lord Athamar and Jules, that
Missiledine: should be sufficent force. If we can gain some degree of surprise."
Missiledine: He looks at Athamar, "Any thoughts on that, My Lord?"
Dukejr01: "The sentry posts won't be easy. though we did manage to get close before being detected....."
Dukejr01: ".. but they will be more alert, very likely."
Missiledine: "They'll be on their guard now." Someon says
Dukejr01: "The area betwen the posts is trapped."
Missiledine: The captains all look up at that. "How?"
Dukejr01: <what was the informtion A got? you mentioned several traps in the interrogation>
Dukejr01: Athamar refers to his notes....
Missiledine: <a variety... pit traps, caltrops, punji sticks, trip wires, ALARMS,>
Dukejr01: A takes out the sketches..... "Pit traps, caltrops, trip wires...."
Dukejr01: <is there much cover to conceal these traps?>
Missiledine: "All designed to slow, weaken and maim an attacker while spreading the alarm." Dell mutters
Missiledine: brush, rocks... enough
Dukejr01: <and is there a clear area that they use to bring in and put people?
Dukejr01: <out>
Dukejr01: <the old maxim, if you make it impossible to get in, you make it impossible to get out>
Missiledine: yes, there is a winding path approaching the tower allowing ample time for archery practice
Dukejr01: k
Dukejr01: <how RUDE. these guys are supposed to roll over>
Dukejr01: <:-P>
Missiledine: lol
Dukejr01: <how do the guards get to the posts?
Missiledine: there are paths out to the posts, but they don't go completely through the web of traps
Dukejr01: gotcha.
Dukejr01: A will point those out. but its still depressing
Missiledine: lol
Missiledine: <About time to close guys.>
Dukejr01: k. night
Missiledine: thank you!
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