IBKSC troop moves #3
From the south, a strange ‘click-clack’ sound is heard. From the Abbor-Alz, a brown wave crashes down of Vecna’s forces. Thousands of manscorpions come charging; lances in hand. To either side of that force comes Paynims light cavalry -- their sabers flashing in the sunlight. They ride amongst the Shade forces harassing them with phosphorous grenades and alchemist fire.
*******
Rary teleports in beside Robilar.
“Everything in order?”
“It’s glorious!,” exclaims Robilar, “We are all probably going to die, but hell, what a way to go!”
“Fine, I am off to Command and Control. Tell our allies that they are welcome to send their commanders there as well.”
“Consider it done.”
Rary then teleports to Magepoint, and strolls across the land bridge and enters what was formerly Tenser’s Tower, now renamed Command and Control Center. 3C for short. He is met at the entrance by a young mage.
“Is all prepared?” asked Rary, as he doesn’t break stride.
“Most, Mr. President and Most Holy. The anti-teleportation and anti-scrying defenses were already active when we arrived. The monsters located in the immediate vicinity of the Nyr Dyv and the bloodhawks were easily controlled by charm spells, so those defenses are in place at well. We are still working on how to turn the place invisible, however…” stammers the young man as he hurries to keep up. “Nor have we figured out the scrying capabilities of the top floor...”
“Well, get on it!” bellows Rary as he crosses the courtyard. “Those abilities are critical to our success.”
“Yes..Yes, sir,” exclaims the young mage
Rary enters the large blue tower that used be Tenser’s home. There in the main foyer is a large metal slag that once was a huge iron golem. “You have to love rust monsters…” he muses.
Rary climbs the flights of steps of the tower. He moves past libraries where IBKSC scribes are busy reading and cataloging information. He climbs up past an impressive magical laboratory. He climbs up to the fifth floor where Tenser’s bedroom is located. Upon entry he sees that, as per his instructions, the bed has been move out of the way and the large room has been converted into a command center. A large map of the Flanaess dominates the center of the room. There small little lead figures bearing the flags of the various powers involved in the conflict are being pushed around by humans and humanoids with large sticks as they read reports coming in from the front.
Rary, after seeing that all is as it should be, settles down in a large leather chair, formerly Tenser’s favorite.
“Sir,” a young orc captian says while saluting “We have just learned of your arrival. We discovered some interesting things in the basement of this place, and we thought you should have them.” The young orc captain snaps his fingers and a small group of orc soldiers enters the room. The first orc bears a scepter. Rary recognizes it instantly for what it is the evil Scepter of Might Artifact. He tries to snatch it out of orc private’s hand, but the orc private refuse to let it go. Rary then resorts to a series of magic missiles to get the orc to release it.
“Um…Sorry about that sir, “ the young orc captain stammers, as the dead body of the orc private is carried off to be re-animated. “I..I don’t know what came over him. But look, sir Tenser’s spell books…”
A group of orcs wheel in two dolly full of tomes; some of them clearly damaged beyond use due to someone trying to open them without bypassing the security spells placed upon them.
Rary starts to shake his head in disgust, and then something even more disturbing catches his eye. One of the orcs, a dimwitted-looking orc private, is munching on what appears to be a moldy turkey leg.
Rary stands up, the Scepter of Might cradled in his arm, and stares at the moldy turkey leg that the orc is eating. The orc realizing something is amiss stares back feverously eating the turkey leg.
Rary stands in front of the orc private looking at him. The orc private looks back, unconsciously eating even faster now.
“Have you learned to read yet private?” asks Rary calmly.
“Um..no..No sir” says the orc private, bits of moldy turkey comes flying out of his mouth, hitting Rary in the face as he stammers.
Rary calmly wipes the salvia and bits of turkey from his face and then the calls for some parchment and a pen.
“That’s quite alright, is your eyesight good?”
“Yes, sir!” the orc says proudly, saluting with the half eaten turkey leg in his hand.
“Good, you seem like a talented fellow. I always hate to see talent wasted. I have a special mission for you. Are you interested?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good, good,” said Rary as he received the pen and parchment, “now here is what I need you to do. There is a cave not far from the city of Greyhawk. What we are going to do is have one of the mages here teleport you just inside the entrance to this cave. I need you to act as a forward observer, keep an eye on enemy troop movements, that sort of thing. Now don’t be worried, I am currently scribing you a magical ward that should protect you from Vecna and his forces. ”
The note that Rary was writing was actually quite the opposite it read:
Dear Baba Yaga,
I am an orc in Vecna’s army and I was ordered to eat your Hut as a sign of Lord Vecna’s total hatred and disrespect of your powers.
Rary pins the note to the orc private’s chest.
Rary continued, “This is a spy mission, so we can’t afford to have you caught with any insignia, so Captian please see to it that he is given civilian clothing, common, non marked weaponry, etc.”
“As you command,” said the young orc captain as he fought back a smile, and secretly glad it wasn’t he who ate that turkey leg.
“Now, “ said Rary as he looked back at the orc private, “I need you too keep hidden, but keep an eye what is going on. Another one of our spies, an old crone of a woman will be your contact. She will come looking for you. When she arrives, give her this ward to identify yourself, and tell her all that you have seen. Got it.”
Yes, Sir!” the orc private said proudly.
“Good, good…and keep that turkey leg with you, it has brought you luck so far, perhaps it is a magical turkey leg…”
“You think so, sir?”
“One never knows…”
******
Over in the east, the blades of the Doomgrinder spin even faster…
Edit Before the orc leaves Rary uses Rary's Memory Alteration on the orc private. Altering his memory such that he rembers his mission and what he is supposed to do, but can't rember who sent him on it.
