ooc: I'll let you late people slip in just before the doors close... just this once. Incidentally, Willow, you aren't speaking to the Archmage. He's busy. You're addressing Rymus Delarti, a lesser Wizard of some variety.
Rymus smiles slightly, and picks Johnny first. After listening, he nods.
"Ah, yes, of course, you need some more details... let's see here..."
He changes the illusion once again, revealing a being looking like a primitive human with gray skin, red eyes, and unkempt black hair. It's lower teeth jut up in a way suggestive of boar's tusks. The word Orc is visible above the image.
"Orcs are similar to Humans, but are stronger and less intelligent. They are slightly weaker in daylight, as their eyes are better suited for darkness, and thus they usually attack at night. They have a tribal society, which in general has spent most of it's time warring amongst itself... but for whatever reason, they have changed that policy recently, and now are a quite dangerous threat to us all."
He changes his spell to show a much shorter being, with leathery yellow skin and orange eyes. The word Goblin is seen above the image.
"Goblins are smaller and weaker then Humans, but they breed like rabbits, giving them vastly superior numbers. They have a tribal organization similar to that of Orcs, but they lack the stupidity of Orcs. That being said, they prefer ambushes of all kinds, and are infamous for dirty tricks in combat."
He changes his spell once again to show a being with Orcish size and Goblin looks. The word Hobgoblin is seen above the image.
"The Hobgoblins are a more powerful offshoot of the Goblin race, they are as intelligent as humans, but also posess greater strength. There are not as many Hobgoblins as there are of any other race, but they are very well organized. Currently, Hobgoblin leaders can be found in most Orc and Goblin armies... we believe that this is a key factor behind the success of those forces."
He changes the display again, revealing five different beings, labeled Bugbear, Gnoll, Kobold, Minotaur, and Ogre.
"These beings have all been spotted in battle against us from time to time. The Bugbears seem related to Goblins, though they are a larger and stronger breed then the Hobgoblins, and have occaisionally been seen in command positions over groups of Goblins. The Gnolls have always fought as a seperate unit, and although they have Orcish strength, we have noted that they are the most likely group to make tactical errors... probably due to the lack of competent leaders. The Kobolds usually fight on their own as well; when they appear, it is in groups of similar size to that of the Goblins, and with competent magical support, as well. Minotaurs and Ogres are extremely strong and equally stupid, and have usually been used either to breach the ranks of standard front line troops, or as an alternative to siege weapons."
The display returns to the map of the city.
"That being said, I'd suggest that the first thing you should do is spend some time fortifying the old city. The ruined buildings would make excellent quarries, and you should have enough time to patch up the outer walls before you face any serious attacks. When engaging in battle, I would recommend a defensive posture early on... you probably have enough forces to take on some of the smaller groups, but I wouldn't recommend facing a full army except behind walls. As for mass firepower, it's limited to siege weapons and magic."
Rymus then picks Aelynn, and listens to her question.
"Yes, that is true. However, Xiophanes' spell links the destinies of Humans. There are about nine thousand of us on the continent of Valaria to the south, and around four thousand on Yitel to the west, and there are around one thousand here, not counting new arrivals. There are over fifty thousand Humans in and around Lindor. That is the full list of major Human populations. Valaria is controlled by the Elves, mostly, so the Humans there are more or less safe. Yitel is huge, but is dangerous and uncivilized, and the Humans there can take care of themselves for the time being, and even if they couldn't, they're too scattered for us to provide any decent aid. Xiophanes can protect the Humans on his own island easily enough... but Lindor is in serious trouble, so if anywhere needs assistance, it's Lindor. Yes, rebuilding is necessary, but that takes lifetimes. Once you've defeated the Orcs and the Goblins, and taken care of all of the immediate threats, then you can and should think of finding a place to settle down: do remember the bit about the spell being one-way. But that must wait until after victory."
Rymus then picks Berethani, and after listening responds.
"Yes, everyone is going to Lindor, for the reason I've just described. The people of Lindor are as of yet unaware of your arrival... but that will be fixed soon enough: messengers have already been sent to inform them. The Dwarves have their own problems to deal with; they've been besieged for three months already. Storm Keep outlasted a decade-long siege a few centuries back, so they aren't in serious trouble... but they will be unable to provide aid of any sort unless you put a great deal of time and effort into breaking the siege... and you have your own siege to prepare for. As of now, the Hobgoblins are busy reorganizing, and I doubt that they'll be able to mass a good offensive for at least 2 more months. That'll give you some time to prepare, during which your biggest concern will be the vermin within the ruins you are scavenging for stone, and the occaisional upsurge of the undead... it happens in places where so many remain unburied."
