A Keep on the Borderlands: Consolidation

[Dr Simon]

"No indeed," says Menexes. "That's a worrying thought that we might have spies in our midst. I had mostly trusted to the honour of dwarves - how like a human to think of such things! But I was thinking of offering a deal with Schattenstein. We could make him think that his smoke snakes did more damage than they did - that we have changed our minds about turning you over to him. But I don't know how best to go from that to getting into the waystation. My Lady - you have magic, I saw. Do you have anything that can help us? Make an infiltrator invisible, perhaps?"

 

[Shayuri]

Arcata shakes her head unwillingly. "No," she admits. "I can really only do a little magic. I haven't had much time for study since...all this started." Bastian knows she's referring to events that took place well before their exile to these dangerous hinterlands.

"Even so...your idea may be workable. Schattenstein was really eager to do whatever it was he was planning. Almost desperate, really, to risk so much."

She paces away, tapping her bottom lip with a fingertip thoughtfully.

"We could use a meeting like that to try to stage an ambush maybe. I wonder, if we ambushed the dwarves he sends to recover me, and took their armor...could they mistake your dwarves for cobalt? Long enough to get us inside the gates at least..."

 

[Dr Simon]

"We could brew up some woad," says Menexes. "That would help. Or darkness would help. We dwarves can see with little or no light, but we can't see colour when it's dark. It would be hard to tell who had blue skin or not."

 

[jkason]

Bastian Sangue, human cavalier

"Of course, Sh'aah is the only one of us--" here Bastian gestures to indicate the Dulat entourage, "--who can see in the dark at all. So the same thing that would mask your mens' color would make it impossible for us to help you, well, at all. Sounds like maybe the woad is the better option if we want to make a bronze look like a cobalt."

 

[Axel]

Sh'aah's ears perked up at his name, and it dawned on him that he might be expected to make some contribution to the plan. "Climbing. Climb the wall too. Next to cliff. Away from gate. Can't see far in the dark."

 

[Dr Simon]

Rexun grimaces when Sh'aah mentions climbing, but Menexes nods in agreement.

"Perhaps a two-pronged attack," he suggests. "Some of us distract the gate guard with the promise of handing over Your Ladyship, whilst we send some to sneak in the way that you escaped." He looks over at Sh'aah, acknowledging the existence of the half-orc for the first time. "Do you volunteer to lead the commando squad?"

OOC: Apologies for the patchy updates. It's a busy time at work, plus I'm moving jobs and house soon, so expect sketchy service for the next few weeks!

 

[Axel]

Sh'aah shrugged. Only way to move things along. The missing warden will be gone forever if we wait Dwarf time...

"I go. Climbing tunnels need rope. Wall climbing will not. Many dwarfs to come?"

 

[Shayuri]

Arcata hesitates, then nods. "It's the best plan we've come up with so far. Lets go with it."

 

[jkason]

Bastian nods. "I'm not a climber, so I'll stay with the envoy," Bastian says. The thinning of his lips and the brief glance to Arcata adds a silent besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight.

 

[Dr Simon]

It takes what feels like a maddeningly long time to get everything ready for the combined decoy and infiltration. Sh'aah is put in charge of a squad of four dwarf volunteers for the climb, including Rexun, and the dwarves find rope and spikes for the climbers. Menexes, along with a small dwarf honour guard, will proceed to the gates of the waystation with Arcata, Bastian and Comoray, with the intent on offering to hand Arcata over to the Cobalt Dwarf.

Sh'aah's squad is to enter the tunnels under the waystation, whilst the role of the envoy is mainly to cause a distraction, but if the event allows either removal of cobalt dwarves or entry into the waystation, to go with that. Beyond this, the plan, such as it is, devolves into seeing what happens next.

It is the next night by the time things are ready to go. The party moves up towards the Waystation in the dark of night. Clouds cover the stars and moon, and the narrow mountain track is a nerve-wracking trip for the humans in the party.

Menexes pulls up beyond the range of an easy shot from the fortifications and calls out in dwarven. A cobalt face peers down from the battlements.

"Tell your master that I have his demands considered," he continues, in Common. "and, as dwarf to dwarf, I bring him the Lady Dulat as hostage, as an offering of peace between us."

The dwarf vanishes, and at this point Sh'aah and his band take the opportunity to slip over the side into the black chasm and begin their careful transverse to the broken cellar.

Eventually there are signs of someone on the battlements again, and at this point the commando squad have reached the cellar.

Haxmar Schattenstein's voice calls out.

"I accept your offer, Master Kupferbart," he says. "The Lady Dulat may enter. Alone." The wicket gate of the Waystation opens a crack.