For the Greater Good

[Jarval]

"If the guards on the road prove too... astute, we'll just have to deal with them and press on as quickly as we can." Nessa says. "As for once we get to the Baroness' manor, I think a touch more subtly than merely charging in may be in order, but we'll deal with than when we get there. After all, we know almost nothing about what we're heading into.

"As for a meeting place, I agree with Norin. The god seemed to regard us with some favour, so it may be a better place for us to wait than anywhere else in these lands. And besides which, we must retrieve the idol before we leave."

 

[doghead]

"I would agree with that." Sylinda flinches as Aeric lands heavily on her shoulder.

"You forgot about me, didn't you," the hawk says testily. Sylinda laughs, and shugs him off. For truth be told, she had and had allowed her arm to fall to her side. As Aeric swoops around in a tight circle, she raises her arm for him to land upon.

"Actually, we were just talking about you Aeric. Can you keep an eye on things from the air as we travel and meet us again at dusk?"

Aeric nods his agreement, and Sylinda looks around the rest of the group. Their willingness to plunge in without really knowing what they are up against concerns her. She has given her word to Orshallan to work with them in this quest. But she has misgivings.

What do I know of these people really? I must trust Orshallan's judgement in this. But its been a long time since I have been forced to rely on others. Perhaps I am not suited to this sort of life. People can be so, complex. Well, it is done now Sylinda, and you must do what you can. They probably have misgivings about you too.

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Lyssia sits by as the others plan, taking in all the various angles. "I think a forward recon element would be needed, but I doubt that anyone other than myself or Darren have the skills needed at this level. though I am sure that you all might come up with some clever application of Art or your compainons that I've over looked. " smiles. "If not we can always scout a head to see if what we are anticipating ahead is what we'll see."

 

[doghead]

Sylinda nods at Nessa's assessment and the choice of meeting place.

She looks at Lyssia somewhat startled by her observation. Her mind races for a moment.

"I think that we should scout if we can. I'll be back soon."

With that she turns and takes a couple of paces before leaping lightly into the air. There is a faint shimmer and her outline blurs momentarily, to be replaced by that of a swan. It flys off.

She returns a short while later and passes on what she and Aeric have learnt.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*To prevent themselves from becoming bogged down by indesicion, Aeric (and Sylinda if she wishes), takes to the air to scout. They see a guardhouse about two miles down the road, manned by about a half-dozen fairly human-looking guards. Beyond them are several fields, also full of peasents tending to them. They also look human, but as you press farther and farther inward, you see further and further evidence of corruption. Live peasents are replaced with zombies and eventually skeletons. The small town near the manner is entirely manned by these mockeries of life.*

*The manor itself is a tall and forboding place, made of sturdy gray stone, the tallest towers rising to five stories. It is surrounded by a ten-foot tall wall of stone with guard towers at the front gate. Behind the manor, where there should be gardens, you see graveyards, many of them containing rather fresh graves.*

*Demons, like the ones you fought on the road, man the guard towers, holding cruel-looking tridents at attention, like pikes. At one side of the manor, you see another smaller caravan of "funera wagons" unloading their coffins and taking them inside. On the opposite side, hastily-erected sheds line the eastern wall, guarded by robed figures. As you watch, you see a demon guard go into one of the sheds, come out with a struggling young man, and haul him bodily into the manor.*

*You do not note any other obvious entrances or exits aside from the front gate, and all of the windows are securely shutters; some are barred. With this information, you can return and tell your group.*

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Lyssia listens to the scouting report and draws out what she knows as the scouts describe what they saw, asking from time to time a few questions to clarify points as she does. When they are finished, she frowns, looking over her map.

"This is a hard mission, we're to get the dark lady and return her to Orshallen and his men alive so as to save her soul. I see very few ways of getting in easily." she sits back and sips from her water skin. "Tis a very tricky nut we are looking at here." she adds as she flares her wings.

 

[Lichtenhart]

"Don't lose your hopes. When we are on the righteous path, help can come from the most unexpected direction. Do you think we can trick them into carrying some of us in hidden in the coffins, while Darren and Lyssia explain what happened to the caravan?"

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Just don't suffocate yourselves!" the golden frog comments from inside his ball.

 

[Jarval]

"My only worry with the coffin idea is that some of the creatures at the manor may be able to sense the presence of living creatures." *Nessa comments.* "However, I've not got an alternative solution, so it may be our only choice..."

 

[doghead]

"I don't like it at all!" Sylinda says with a shocked voice. "Whoever is in the cofffins would have no idea of what was going on around them. They would be incredibally vunerable. I will not get into one, and I would not ask it of anyone else.

"We have discussed a couple of options, but no of them seem to offer any significant advantage over the original plan. Sebastian was right. Its a little thin, but it at least played to our strengths and left us with the most freedom to respond and improvise. So lets get sorted into guards and captives, and get back on the road. We really don't know enough at this point, but perhaps we will learn something of use as we get closer."