Invasion of Mori - IC [3.5][CE/NE][planar]

[moritheil]

Roillard grins at Kaelvorr, perhaps nervously. "But of course, and how kind of you to warn me. I have said, I believe, that we do not know much about the goblins. We know even less about the Lady. I could repeat some of the wilder rumors, of course, about drug use or cannibalism, but I do not place much stock in them. Thus far everything I have said to you is that which I feel is most accurate.

"Now may be a very good time for me to ask you this - would you prefer that I report in greater detail and less accuracy, or that I only report what is almost certain? If it's the former, I could tell you some truly outrageous rumors from the last drunken army deserters we caught. Let's see, Highpriest Althen has a secret tunnel from his room to a bordello. The secret weakness of Lady of the Hills is garlic."

Roillard arches an eyebrow. "You see? I certainly understand your desire for more knowledge, but unsubstantiated rumor, aside from not being my specialty, is a very dirty field. I would not wish to give you inaccurate information that would be, as you say . . . acrimonious."

He pauses, looking around, and his eyes stop on Gabriel. "But unless I miss my mark entirely, we have one here who is far more qualified to judge such matters. I will happily leave such decisions to him in the future.

"For now? The goblins are tribal, and called savage, but they have fielded an army of thousands. That speaks of organization. The Lady is gathering an army and doing nothing. That speaks of some grand design. The army of the humans is here, but does not move to finish us off. That speaks of fear."

His eyes flicker. "One last thing. I did not want to doubt the word of one of you, but your plan for killing the priest is really not what I would suggest. Of course violence is your area of expertise, not mine, but any man who can kill an experienced frost giant in single combat probably has some skills that should not be dismissed. If you insist on my pointing out all possible difficulties, he is the first to come to mind - behind the army, but I doubt you require my advice to not pick a fight with thousands of trained soldiers."

 

[Shayuri]

"Agreed," Silhouette says quietly.

"This is a fact-finding expedition, not an invitation to bloodbaths."

She looks pointedly at Snargle.

"Our goals are to infiltrate without calling attention to this cult, or ourselves, and fill the considerable gaps in our knowledge of the current situation. Once we've done that, we'll return here to plan the next step. Kill if necessary to protect our secrets, but try to avoid compromising yourselves."

"Remember the consequences suffered the last time, when our forces moved too recklessly, too quickly, and were annihilated."

 

[Voadam]

"Agreed," Silhouette says quietly.

"This is a fact-finding expedition, not an invitation to bloodbaths."

She looks pointedly at Snargle.

"Our goals are to infiltrate without calling attention to this cult, or ourselves, and fill the considerable gaps in our knowledge of the current situation. Once we've done that, we'll return here to plan the next step. Kill if necessary to protect our secrets, but try to avoid compromising yourselves."

"Remember the consequences suffered the last time, when our forces moved too recklessly, too quickly, and were annihilated."

Snargle snorts and chuckles, "Fact finding. Right. I'll bring the diviners miles of entrails to read, a few dozen out of thousands won't be missed. Don't you worry that pretty little head about it." He turns to Roiliard "Got any ox stew before we head out? I get cranky on an empty stomach. That's the problem with kobolds, half hour later its like you didn't eat a thing. And I hate how the scales stick in your teeth."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"The rings can be used to contact me, but once done, we can converse in short bursts. Not perfect, but under the circumstances, they will do quite well," Gabriel explains further about the rings. He hands one to the fiend Kaelvorr, and holds out others to those who want them as back-up. "And having them around for an emergency should do well enough. You never know when you might need... help."

When Roillard spills what he knows, Gabriel refrains from rolling his eyes.

"I have no desire for a repeat of that kobold incident. We will approach this gathering of information with a touch more discretion. At least I shall. It is better to know how this priest thinks, to know what he believes, and to corrupt and sway him until he does our own bidding and thinks it his own idea. That, in my mind, is far better than simply killing him. And few could corrupt a righteous soul better than I," Gabriel says with a dark smile, a kind of vampiric grin that reminds people that the bard is, in his own arena, as deadly as Snargle.

 

[Shayuri]

Silhouette nods at Gabriel.

"Good. Deal with the priest. You've no need to hide your face among humans. I'll ferret out the underworld, the black markets and criminal guilds and see what we have to work with as far as corrupting the city as a whole. I can link our minds to give us constant silent contact with each other over a period of hours."

She looks at Rose and Aldred. "Which of you wishes to come with us, and which is going with Snargle?"

 

[Dichotomy]

Rose shrugs. "Kaelvorr's probably right. I should go with you. Disguise, and all that crap." The dervish sounds less than enthused. "Besides," he adds, while flashing his disgusting smile, "That way I still get the joy of ogling you all day."

 

[Shayuri]

Silhouette smiles. "I'll try to make it worth your while," she purrs.

The tiefling looks Rose over then, frowning. "You might actually pass for human as I look at you...a freebooter mercenary perhaps. If the humans have assembled an army, it will no doubt attract that sort, sniffing around for work as auxiliaries... Roillard, do we have any knowledge of the human forces?"

 

[moritheil]

"We know the most about them. Highpriest Althen leads a mass of religiously-driven warrior priests. The temple of Kelanen has also sent a detachment. But the bulk of the forces there are regular soldiers under the Duke of Antric in an effort to hold on to his land. They previously engaged the goblins and held them to a draw. You might call it a victory, since they held the land, but part of the town was burned and had to be rebuilt.

"Oh yes, now that I think about it, it seems the Duke of Antric had a penchant for hiring adventurers to do his dirty work. That might be an angle for you."

 

[Bloodweaver1]

The large winged beast gathers his gear and moves to join the equally large Troll and the rest of the goblin team.

 

[moritheil]

As preparations begin in earnest and everyone packs up, Roillard speaks up once more.

"Well then," he says, "I may not have ox stew, but I have taken the liberty of having a meal prepared should you wish to dine together before heading off."

Town Group
Silhouette
Rose
Gabriel

Goblin Group
Snargle
Aldred
Kaelvorr
Gargoyle

Lair Defense
Roillard
Diplomat
Hanaav
Kelteror