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An Adventure in Five Acts (AD&D 2E) (Final Update 25 Feb 2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="ilgatto" data-source="post: 8897096" data-attributes="member: 86051"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">An Adventure in Five Acts, Act V, Part I (Continued)</span></strong></p><p></p><p>This is something Navarre didn’t expect. Albert Murphy? The architect who built his father’s mountain castle? What treachery is this? Why, the man has dined at his father’s table, for crying out loud! Navarre has to take some time before he can ask his next question, through gritted teeth.</p><p>“And how fares dear old Albert?”</p><p>“Very well,” the prisoner says. “He was educated at the Academy of Royal Engineers. He is a man of great knowledge!”</p><p>“So he is,” Navarre replies. “What about the tent in the courtyard of the castle?”</p><p>“It is the entrance to the mine of the people!,” the prisoner says.</p><p>“I suppose Albert Murphy is in charge of that as well?”</p><p>“It is he who has armed the people and led the revolt! He and mostly the giant.”</p><p>“Ah yes. The giant,” Navarre says. “Is he also one of the people?”</p><p>“He came with mister Albert.”</p><p>“And how did that happen?”</p><p>“It was after mister Albert returned from the mountains, where he spent two years to free his mind of the confusion created by the oppressors. He returned with the giant when his plans for the revolution were finished.”</p><p>“The giant who disappears every now and then?,” Sir Suvali asks, smiling at the prisoner while stirring the tea.</p><p>“No, no,” the prisoner says. “He lives in the castle.”</p><p>“Who else lives in the castle?,” Navarre asks.</p><p>“All the leaders of the revolution. Vincilli Litworth, the chancellor; mister Albert Murphy, engineer and High Priest of Ulm; and Serena… Fallen. She was a leader of bandits before she committed to the revolution.”</p><p>“A sorceress?,” Sir Suvali asks.</p><p>“Magic is banned!,” the prisoner says. “It is the root of all evil!”</p><p>“And so it would seem,” Navarre says. “Tell me. What is the function of that lake?”</p><p>“It was created when we built the dam,” the prisoner says. “We brought rocks and trees and built it.”</p><p>“Why?,” Sir Oengus asks.</p><p>The prisoner hesitates.</p><p>“There is a beast in it,” he says, after some time.</p><p>“Well?,” Navarre snaps. “Spit it out. What kind of beast?”</p><p>“It is a creature of ice,” the prisoner says. “A troll, an elemental. It was captured by the giant to serve the revolution.”</p><p>Our noble heroes exchange doubtful glances. A creature of ice? Does such a thing even exist? Then again, they didn’t really believe that giants existed until two weeks ago.</p><p>“It is sleeping,” the prisoner continues. “Serena can put it to sleep and wake it up.”</p><p>“Using magic?’, Sir Suvali asks sharply.</p><p>“No,” the prisoner says. “She is a herbalist – she uses herbs and her knowledge of nature to control the ice troll.”</p><p>“So it is an ‘ice troll’ now?,” Navarre asks sharply. “And how will this creature serve your little revolution?”</p><p>Again, the prisoner seems to hesitate.</p><p>“It holds the dam together,” he says, eventually. “The dam serves the revolution!”</p><p>The noble trio take some time to consider how a dam could serve a revolution.</p><p>“We’ll need some details, my good man,” Navarre says. “How does it serve the revolution? Is it a permanent structure?”</p><p>“It can be partially opened,” the prisoner says, again after having thought about his answer for a bit.</p><p>“For what reason?,” Navarre asks.</p><p>The prisoner hesitates again.</p><p>“It is a good idea to let the water through,” he finally says.</p><p>“I’m sure it is,” Navarre says.</p><p></p><p>Then it hits him. It’s a trap! The royalists have been lured into a trap! If the dam breaks, the resulting wave of water would utterly kill everything in the valley! But then what about the so-called ‘army of the people’? Would the three leaders go as far as to destroy their own army? Could this be the ultimate goal of Albert Murphy? Why not? What better way to serve Ulm than to kill some 2,500 people at once?</p><p>“You say the ice troll in the lake holds the dam together,” Sir Oengus says. “How does it do that?”</p><p>“It adds ice to the dam.”</p><p>“So the dam is a construct of wood, stone, and ice?”</p><p>“It’s not like that. The ice troll freezes the dam.”</p><p>“So the dam is a man-made construct and the ice troll is just there to freeze it?”</p><p>“That’s it.”</p><p>Navarre is still pondering whether Albert Murphy is really planning to destroy his own army.</p><p>“Where are your leaders now?,” he asks. “In the castle?”</p><p>“Each in their own tower,” the prisoner says. “The giant has his own quarters because he is a cantankerous naughty word. Serena was his prisoner when mister Albert found him.”</p><p>“Some tea?,” Sir Suvali says, offering the prisoner a steaming cup of the stuff.</p><p></p><p>When the prisoner is sound asleep moments later, Navarre shares his thoughts about the dam with the others.</p><p>“I know,” Sir Suvali says, apparently suggesting that he thought of the whole thing first.</p><p>“Would they really kill their own men?,” Navarre wonders. He ponders the problem for a bit until he suddenly thinks of something.</p><p>“How many men in the castle, you think?” he asks his noble fellows.</p><p>“Hard to say,” Sir Oengus says. “Five hundred? A thousand at most?”</p><p>“Hmm…,” Navarre muses. “If they still have men in the castle, it could mean the army in the valley is expendable. First, they wouldn’t have to pay them. Second, they would neatly rid themselves of a lot of people they had fight for them in the name of this so-called revolution. Third, there would be no more royalist army. If they would still have some sort of coherent elite force in the castle, they would have little trouble dealing with some bickering barons in the duchies. The realm will be at their feet.”</p><p>“Captains don’t kill their own hands,” Sir Oengus says. “It sends the ship adrift.”</p><p>“You don’t really believe this drivel about the people and revolutions, do you?,” Navarre says. “There is no such thing. I’ll bet you a hundred gold that these three have some other agenda entirely. They are obviously evil to the core so why would they care about some peasants and bandits?”</p><p>“That’s the morning rain,” Sir Suvali says, when the first drops start falling outside. “I’ll have another look at the castle in the light and then we head back to the camp.”</p><p></p><p><strong>Day 18</strong>: The sorcerer’s short flight does not yield much more information. When he returns and Navarre asks him whether it’s Blurh’s or Ulm’s banners flying from the castle, the sorcerer says he didn’t get close enough to see what’s what.</p><p>“They were mostly black,” he says.</p><p>“Great,” Navarre says. “So are Blurh’s banners. Black with some red.”</p><p>“In that case I’d say they where Ulm’s rather than Blurh’s,” Sir Suvali says. “Let’s get back to the camp.”</p><p>On their way back, our noble heroes keep their eyes peeled. When they are approaching the enemy camp, Navarre manages to roll “1” twice for something called an ‘observation check’ – just when you need them and all that – and he spots an expertly hidden barge just at the end of a track leading up and into the forest on the duskward bank of the river. Nets and piles of leafy branches are stacked against and on top of it so as to make it almost undetectable.</p><p>“Do you suppose this is how they are going to save their own men when they burst the dam?,” he wonders. “Get them on barges and then flood the valley? And then perhaps sail back to King’s Lake to finish their conquest?”</p><p>“Seems a bit strong,” Sir Oengus says. “They’ll need a lot of barges for that. Besides, that barge is pretty high up on the slope. I don’t think the water will reach it.”</p><p>“I must bow to your superior knowledge on the subject,” Navarre says. “I have no clue at all as to the effects of this flood.”</p><p></p><p>When they get back to the inn some two hours later, the noble trio report their findings to the others, which causes a bit of a stir. With everybody speaking and shouting at the same time, Navarre suddenly gets an idea.</p><p>“We must use their own trap against them!,” he exclaims. “Get our own men to safety and break the dam before they can.”</p><p>“I was thinking the same thing,” Sir Eber says. “Is the ice troll part of the dam? Would we have to kill it?”</p><p>“I’d say it certainly has to be removed in some way,” Navarre says. “How big is an ice troll? Does it function as some sort of stopper if it is a part of the dam and would using the magical wand on it do the trick then? Would killing it? Does anybody know how to kill an ice troll?”</p><p>“It’ll probably die after I hit it a couple of times,” Sir Eber says.</p><p>“Hmm,” Navarre muses. “Should we consider using the <em>Sword of Shadows</em> just to make sure that it dies instantly?”</p><p>“I will not draw the sword again,” Sir Eber says.</p><p>“Commendable,” Navarre says. “Alright then. Perhaps Suvali should shrink the creature first? Just in case it doesn’t die after you have hit it a couple of times?”</p><p>Sir Eber looks at him with thinly veiled contempt.</p><p>“There’s more,” Navarre continues. “How do we get to the dam unnoticed and still pack a punch? We can hardly start fighting the creature when we are small – it just wouldn’t work. And where is it? Even more important: how would we get out of the way when the dam breaks? There’s no telling how fast the water will come through. Although I gather it would be fast.”</p><p>“Bah,” Sir Eber scoffs. “Talk and more talk. Let’s just do it.”</p><p>Navarre casts him a doubtful look. Has his noble fellow not heard a word he said?</p><p>“Perhaps we should see what Mim has to say before making plans,” Navarre says. “We might need some considerable time to convince the man of all this and the glass is running empty. Maybe we should use the prisoner to convince him?”</p><p>“<em>Mon cher!,”</em> the <em>chevalier</em> exclaims. “The man is <em>chevalier!</em> We can hardly expect him to listen to the tales of a peasant!”</p><p>Navarre nods.</p><p>“Point taken,” he says. “I think we should speak to Mim alone. This whole ‘revolt of the people’ thing does seem to be at least a part of the plan and I think we would be wise to consider who we talk to. Some of the servants may have taken to the notion and the whole plan depends on the utmost discretion.”</p><p></p><p><strong>22.00 hrs</strong>: An hour after Navarre and Sir Oengus have reverted to their normal size and the prisoner has been fed some more tea, our noble heroes head for Duke Mim’s room. One of the guards announces their arrival and they are ushered into the room, where they find Mim in the company of two more guards and two servants preparing him for the night.</p><p>Sir Eber is the first to speak: “Get these people out of here.”</p><p>Duke Mim looks at him in startled surprise.</p><p>“I say!,” he exclaims. “I will do no such thing!”</p><p>“I am afraid we must insist, Lord Duke,” Navarre says. “What we have to say is for your ears only.”</p><p>The duke considers this for a moment and then nods to the servants.</p><p>“The guards remain,” he says. “I trust them with my life.”</p><p>“After them,” Sir Eber says. “We don’t want anyone listening in on this out there.”</p><p>“Move!,” Sir Oerknal says, herding the servants out of the room like a flock of geese. “Go!”</p><p>He follows the servants into the hallway and shuts the door behind him.</p><p></p><p>“<em>Monsieur,”</em> the <em>chevalier</em> starts, bowing elegantly. “We have information of importance about the enemy.”</p><p>“Excellent!,” Mim says. “Out with it!”</p><p>“The <em>château</em> is in the hands of the enemy,” the <em>chevalier</em> continues. “A direct assault is out of the question.”</p><p>“Damn’ nuisance!,” Mim says.</p><p>“There is another option but timing will be of the essence,” the <em>chevalier</em> continues. “There is a dam at the edge of the plateau with a huge reservoir of water behind it. The enemy is planning to break the dam and flood the valley, killing everybody in it. We must get our men to safety before this happens.”</p><p>The duke seems to ponder this for some time.</p><p>“How certain are you of this?,” he finally asks.</p><p>“We have seen the dam with our own eyes,” Navarre says. “Allow me to draw you a map of the situation.”</p><p></p><p>The duke gestures to one of the guards for a quill and some parchment and Navarre starts scribbling while the <em>chevalier</em> continues to answer the duke’s questions about the castle itself. When Navarre has finished, the noble company gather around the map.</p><p>“Considering all this, <em>monsieur,</em> I suggest we break the dam before the enemy does,” the <em>chevalier</em> says.</p><p>The duke studies the map for some time, with the noble quartet explaining things when required.</p><p>“We must secretly retreat our troops, get them to safe ground before the enemy can react,” the <em>chevalier</em> says. “Timing and discretion are of the essence. We must seal off the area and leave fires burning to create the impression of a manned camp while we retreat.”</p><p>The duke nods.</p><p>“We’ll have to move under the cover of darkness,” he says.</p><p>“I must point out that we cannot be certain that the dam will actually break,” Navarre says.</p><p>“Words,” Sir Eber scoffs. “The opportunity is too good to ignore. We must use their own trap against them.”</p><p>“How long would it take to get our men to higher ground?,” Navarre asks.</p><p>“An hour, two at the most,” the duke says.</p><p>“<em>Messieurs,”</em> the <em>chevalier</em> says, a solemn look on his face. “There is nothing to stop us.”</p><p>“Gentlemen, the plan has merit,” the duke says, extending his hand to each of the noble quartet. “I give you Mim’s word and you have my full support. In return, gentlemen, I assume I can count on each one of you when this affair is over?”</p><p>“<em>Mon Duc!,”</em> the <em>chevalier</em> cries, straightening his back. “House Sarazin is behind you!”</p><p>When his noble fellows also loudly voice their support for the duke’s royal aspirations, Navarre nods. He doesn’t care who will be King after this.</p><p>“We’ll need some time to prepare,” Sir Suvali says. “We’ll get back to you when we’re ready to move.”</p><p>“<em>Allez!,”</em> the <em>chevalier</em> cries. “<em>Messieurs,</em> when the enemy has been crushed, we shall move against the <em>château!”</em></p><p>“Gentlemen,” the duke says, donning a surcoat. “I will leave you to it. I will personally instruct my officers to be ready for immediate action.”</p><p>And with this, he signals his guards and leaves the room.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]272522[/ATTACH]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ilgatto, post: 8897096, member: 86051"] [B][SIZE=5]An Adventure in Five Acts, Act V, Part I (Continued)[/SIZE][/B] This is something Navarre didn’t expect. Albert Murphy? The architect who built his father’s mountain castle? What treachery is this? Why, the man has dined at his father’s table, for crying out loud! Navarre has to take some time before he can ask his next question, through gritted teeth. “And how fares dear old Albert?” “Very well,” the prisoner says. “He was educated at the Academy of Royal Engineers. He is a man of great knowledge!” “So he is,” Navarre replies. “What about the tent in the courtyard of the castle?” “It is the entrance to the mine of the people!,” the prisoner says. “I suppose Albert Murphy is in charge of that as well?” “It is he who has armed the people and led the revolt! He and mostly the giant.” “Ah yes. The giant,” Navarre says. “Is he also one of the people?” “He came with mister Albert.” “And how did that happen?” “It was after mister Albert returned from the mountains, where he spent two years to free his mind of the confusion created by the oppressors. He returned with the giant when his plans for the revolution were finished.” “The giant who disappears every now and then?,” Sir Suvali asks, smiling at the prisoner while stirring the tea. “No, no,” the prisoner says. “He lives in the castle.” “Who else lives in the castle?,” Navarre asks. “All the leaders of the revolution. Vincilli Litworth, the chancellor; mister Albert Murphy, engineer and High Priest of Ulm; and Serena… Fallen. She was a leader of bandits before she committed to the revolution.” “A sorceress?,” Sir Suvali asks. “Magic is banned!,” the prisoner says. “It is the root of all evil!” “And so it would seem,” Navarre says. “Tell me. What is the function of that lake?” “It was created when we built the dam,” the prisoner says. “We brought rocks and trees and built it.” “Why?,” Sir Oengus asks. The prisoner hesitates. “There is a beast in it,” he says, after some time. “Well?,” Navarre snaps. “Spit it out. What kind of beast?” “It is a creature of ice,” the prisoner says. “A troll, an elemental. It was captured by the giant to serve the revolution.” Our noble heroes exchange doubtful glances. A creature of ice? Does such a thing even exist? Then again, they didn’t really believe that giants existed until two weeks ago. “It is sleeping,” the prisoner continues. “Serena can put it to sleep and wake it up.” “Using magic?’, Sir Suvali asks sharply. “No,” the prisoner says. “She is a herbalist – she uses herbs and her knowledge of nature to control the ice troll.” “So it is an ‘ice troll’ now?,” Navarre asks sharply. “And how will this creature serve your little revolution?” Again, the prisoner seems to hesitate. “It holds the dam together,” he says, eventually. “The dam serves the revolution!” The noble trio take some time to consider how a dam could serve a revolution. “We’ll need some details, my good man,” Navarre says. “How does it serve the revolution? Is it a permanent structure?” “It can be partially opened,” the prisoner says, again after having thought about his answer for a bit. “For what reason?,” Navarre asks. The prisoner hesitates again. “It is a good idea to let the water through,” he finally says. “I’m sure it is,” Navarre says. Then it hits him. It’s a trap! The royalists have been lured into a trap! If the dam breaks, the resulting wave of water would utterly kill everything in the valley! But then what about the so-called ‘army of the people’? Would the three leaders go as far as to destroy their own army? Could this be the ultimate goal of Albert Murphy? Why not? What better way to serve Ulm than to kill some 2,500 people at once? “You say the ice troll in the lake holds the dam together,” Sir Oengus says. “How does it do that?” “It adds ice to the dam.” “So the dam is a construct of wood, stone, and ice?” “It’s not like that. The ice troll freezes the dam.” “So the dam is a man-made construct and the ice troll is just there to freeze it?” “That’s it.” Navarre is still pondering whether Albert Murphy is really planning to destroy his own army. “Where are your leaders now?,” he asks. “In the castle?” “Each in their own tower,” the prisoner says. “The giant has his own quarters because he is a cantankerous naughty word. Serena was his prisoner when mister Albert found him.” “Some tea?,” Sir Suvali says, offering the prisoner a steaming cup of the stuff. When the prisoner is sound asleep moments later, Navarre shares his thoughts about the dam with the others. “I know,” Sir Suvali says, apparently suggesting that he thought of the whole thing first. “Would they really kill their own men?,” Navarre wonders. He ponders the problem for a bit until he suddenly thinks of something. “How many men in the castle, you think?” he asks his noble fellows. “Hard to say,” Sir Oengus says. “Five hundred? A thousand at most?” “Hmm…,” Navarre muses. “If they still have men in the castle, it could mean the army in the valley is expendable. First, they wouldn’t have to pay them. Second, they would neatly rid themselves of a lot of people they had fight for them in the name of this so-called revolution. Third, there would be no more royalist army. If they would still have some sort of coherent elite force in the castle, they would have little trouble dealing with some bickering barons in the duchies. The realm will be at their feet.” “Captains don’t kill their own hands,” Sir Oengus says. “It sends the ship adrift.” “You don’t really believe this drivel about the people and revolutions, do you?,” Navarre says. “There is no such thing. I’ll bet you a hundred gold that these three have some other agenda entirely. They are obviously evil to the core so why would they care about some peasants and bandits?” “That’s the morning rain,” Sir Suvali says, when the first drops start falling outside. “I’ll have another look at the castle in the light and then we head back to the camp.” [B]Day 18[/B]: The sorcerer’s short flight does not yield much more information. When he returns and Navarre asks him whether it’s Blurh’s or Ulm’s banners flying from the castle, the sorcerer says he didn’t get close enough to see what’s what. “They were mostly black,” he says. “Great,” Navarre says. “So are Blurh’s banners. Black with some red.” “In that case I’d say they where Ulm’s rather than Blurh’s,” Sir Suvali says. “Let’s get back to the camp.” On their way back, our noble heroes keep their eyes peeled. When they are approaching the enemy camp, Navarre manages to roll “1” twice for something called an ‘observation check’ – just when you need them and all that – and he spots an expertly hidden barge just at the end of a track leading up and into the forest on the duskward bank of the river. Nets and piles of leafy branches are stacked against and on top of it so as to make it almost undetectable. “Do you suppose this is how they are going to save their own men when they burst the dam?,” he wonders. “Get them on barges and then flood the valley? And then perhaps sail back to King’s Lake to finish their conquest?” “Seems a bit strong,” Sir Oengus says. “They’ll need a lot of barges for that. Besides, that barge is pretty high up on the slope. I don’t think the water will reach it.” “I must bow to your superior knowledge on the subject,” Navarre says. “I have no clue at all as to the effects of this flood.” When they get back to the inn some two hours later, the noble trio report their findings to the others, which causes a bit of a stir. With everybody speaking and shouting at the same time, Navarre suddenly gets an idea. “We must use their own trap against them!,” he exclaims. “Get our own men to safety and break the dam before they can.” “I was thinking the same thing,” Sir Eber says. “Is the ice troll part of the dam? Would we have to kill it?” “I’d say it certainly has to be removed in some way,” Navarre says. “How big is an ice troll? Does it function as some sort of stopper if it is a part of the dam and would using the magical wand on it do the trick then? Would killing it? Does anybody know how to kill an ice troll?” “It’ll probably die after I hit it a couple of times,” Sir Eber says. “Hmm,” Navarre muses. “Should we consider using the [I]Sword of Shadows[/I] just to make sure that it dies instantly?” “I will not draw the sword again,” Sir Eber says. “Commendable,” Navarre says. “Alright then. Perhaps Suvali should shrink the creature first? Just in case it doesn’t die after you have hit it a couple of times?” Sir Eber looks at him with thinly veiled contempt. “There’s more,” Navarre continues. “How do we get to the dam unnoticed and still pack a punch? We can hardly start fighting the creature when we are small – it just wouldn’t work. And where is it? Even more important: how would we get out of the way when the dam breaks? There’s no telling how fast the water will come through. Although I gather it would be fast.” “Bah,” Sir Eber scoffs. “Talk and more talk. Let’s just do it.” Navarre casts him a doubtful look. Has his noble fellow not heard a word he said? “Perhaps we should see what Mim has to say before making plans,” Navarre says. “We might need some considerable time to convince the man of all this and the glass is running empty. Maybe we should use the prisoner to convince him?” “[I]Mon cher!,”[/I] the [I]chevalier[/I] exclaims. “The man is [I]chevalier![/I] We can hardly expect him to listen to the tales of a peasant!” Navarre nods. “Point taken,” he says. “I think we should speak to Mim alone. This whole ‘revolt of the people’ thing does seem to be at least a part of the plan and I think we would be wise to consider who we talk to. Some of the servants may have taken to the notion and the whole plan depends on the utmost discretion.” [B]22.00 hrs[/B]: An hour after Navarre and Sir Oengus have reverted to their normal size and the prisoner has been fed some more tea, our noble heroes head for Duke Mim’s room. One of the guards announces their arrival and they are ushered into the room, where they find Mim in the company of two more guards and two servants preparing him for the night. Sir Eber is the first to speak: “Get these people out of here.” Duke Mim looks at him in startled surprise. “I say!,” he exclaims. “I will do no such thing!” “I am afraid we must insist, Lord Duke,” Navarre says. “What we have to say is for your ears only.” The duke considers this for a moment and then nods to the servants. “The guards remain,” he says. “I trust them with my life.” “After them,” Sir Eber says. “We don’t want anyone listening in on this out there.” “Move!,” Sir Oerknal says, herding the servants out of the room like a flock of geese. “Go!” He follows the servants into the hallway and shuts the door behind him. “[I]Monsieur,”[/I] the [I]chevalier[/I] starts, bowing elegantly. “We have information of importance about the enemy.” “Excellent!,” Mim says. “Out with it!” “The [I]château[/I] is in the hands of the enemy,” the [I]chevalier[/I] continues. “A direct assault is out of the question.” “Damn’ nuisance!,” Mim says. “There is another option but timing will be of the essence,” the [I]chevalier[/I] continues. “There is a dam at the edge of the plateau with a huge reservoir of water behind it. The enemy is planning to break the dam and flood the valley, killing everybody in it. We must get our men to safety before this happens.” The duke seems to ponder this for some time. “How certain are you of this?,” he finally asks. “We have seen the dam with our own eyes,” Navarre says. “Allow me to draw you a map of the situation.” The duke gestures to one of the guards for a quill and some parchment and Navarre starts scribbling while the [I]chevalier[/I] continues to answer the duke’s questions about the castle itself. When Navarre has finished, the noble company gather around the map. “Considering all this, [I]monsieur,[/I] I suggest we break the dam before the enemy does,” the [I]chevalier[/I] says. The duke studies the map for some time, with the noble quartet explaining things when required. “We must secretly retreat our troops, get them to safe ground before the enemy can react,” the [I]chevalier[/I] says. “Timing and discretion are of the essence. We must seal off the area and leave fires burning to create the impression of a manned camp while we retreat.” The duke nods. “We’ll have to move under the cover of darkness,” he says. “I must point out that we cannot be certain that the dam will actually break,” Navarre says. “Words,” Sir Eber scoffs. “The opportunity is too good to ignore. We must use their own trap against them.” “How long would it take to get our men to higher ground?,” Navarre asks. “An hour, two at the most,” the duke says. “[I]Messieurs,”[/I] the [I]chevalier[/I] says, a solemn look on his face. “There is nothing to stop us.” “Gentlemen, the plan has merit,” the duke says, extending his hand to each of the noble quartet. “I give you Mim’s word and you have my full support. In return, gentlemen, I assume I can count on each one of you when this affair is over?” “[I]Mon Duc!,”[/I] the [I]chevalier[/I] cries, straightening his back. “House Sarazin is behind you!” When his noble fellows also loudly voice their support for the duke’s royal aspirations, Navarre nods. He doesn’t care who will be King after this. “We’ll need some time to prepare,” Sir Suvali says. “We’ll get back to you when we’re ready to move.” “[I]Allez!,”[/I] the [I]chevalier[/I] cries. “[I]Messieurs,[/I] when the enemy has been crushed, we shall move against the [I]château!”[/I] “Gentlemen,” the duke says, donning a surcoat. “I will leave you to it. I will personally instruct my officers to be ready for immediate action.” And with this, he signals his guards and leaves the room. [ATTACH type="full" alt="5A-6-enworld-blurhcastle-pic.jpg"]272522[/ATTACH] [/QUOTE]
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An Adventure in Five Acts (AD&D 2E) (Final Update 25 Feb 2023)
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