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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 2849100" data-attributes="member: 3448">"Then perhaps we do have room to work together," replied Dame Brionna. "How do the other clans plan to aid the Noldar?" "Clan Muldar changes humans so they are skaven inside. They will use them to strengthen the armies of Caldra. The Earl of Caldra is completely a creature of the skaven." "You mentioned a Noldar; which house is the Noldar from?" "The Noldar is of House Moriquendarim. But you must not forget the Eshen. The targets of the Eshen line-assassins are three: the spinster aunt of Alistair, the Field Marshal Brightspan, and the Archbishop at the moment of the Archduchess's death to disrupt the coronation." "Why his aunt?" asked Kit. "The other two would disrupt things badly, but why her?" "The aunt is a target because she has true sight. That is why they must destroy her; the true sight runs in the royal family of Canberry. But with the way your people shun those who are born with it, the lines that carry the true sight will die out soon. And then you will have no defenses against our kind." "And you don't feel bound by the decision of the other clans to pursue this plan?" "We have great influence, but of all the clans, our clan have the most freewill, and intelligence to make our decisions." Dame Brionna coughed. "Let's focus on the threats at hand. What resources do the Eshen and Muldar have in Canberry?" "Eshen has the six line-assassins present, who are the least of theirs, but still better than the best humans. They must have been successful gutterrunners, warriors for the skaven, first. Each assassin will have its own target. I do not know the other three. "As for the beastmasters... Muldar has at least four great beasts in the city. At least one is a rat-ogre; you want a unit to deal with that one. One is a great mole-rat. The others were caged, and we could not see for certain what they were. But they were probably wolf-rats that can follow a scent forever. They are cooperating with the Eshen." "But what is their plan? Do they simply wish to create chaos, or do they have a larger goal?" "The Noldar's plan is that when the Archduchess dies, the Archbishop will also be killed, and the aunt will be dead or killed soon after. The last will then strike, with any gutterrunners they may have, at Lord Brightspan; the rumors will then begin, through the controlled priests, that the Prince had Brightspan killed. Then their candidate will declare or be declared. He is a weak candidate, but they hold his mother and their family to the south. Not his true mother, who is some sort of demon, but the mother he knows as his own, who raised him. His family lie in an Eshen compound at the edge of the old Kingdoms. If he refuses to cooperate, they will be processed by the Muldar." Alistair whispered quietly into Dame Brionna's ear. Dame Brionna swallowed hard and then said, "Thank you for this information. Lord Alistair would wish to make an alliance of sorts. We will not strike directly against the Skree, even in the lands that were traditionally the human South Kingdoms, if you will aid us in turning back the threat from the Eshen and the Muldar." The elderly ratman smiled. "That is most acceptable. We will not fight our cousins directly for you but will give you the information you need to fight them. We are even willing to lead you to the Eshen compound in the sewers below the city." "Field Marshal Brightspan will be leaving the city soon, perhaps before the Archduchess's death. Would the Eshen follow him if he leaves before they spring their attack?" "The Eshen live for efficiency, so they would not pursue him if he leaves. They would switch their target, perhaps to his father." "Do you know anything about their Noldar ally's other forces?" "Little. We see and here much, but it is difficult for us to survive long near the elves, of any sort. There is a Moriquendarim war schooner near the town of Caldra, with Drowan troops in the town. With the speeds of their airships, they are less than two days away. I do not know more than that." "Are there mages or priests among the Eshen and the Muldar?" asked Marcus. "Muldar's magic limited to one area: warping living creatures to serve their purposes. Eshen is more complex: they have many priests, who tend to specialize in magics that allow them to reach places others cannot, or to enhance death-giving capabilities of their warriors. They share a propensity for alchemy with us. They also specialize in items and devices that will inch their way over days through springs until it drops poison a weak later without an agent touching it after it's first placed. They considered sending in monks of the Order Bubonicus, but they concluded that there were not enough rats." The ancient skaven nodded. "Your efforts to kill rats throughout Canberry frustrated them greatly. You have killed many spies of theirs, and made it much harder for them to strike with some of their weapons. "But you must also fear their warpstone. They have at least four warpstone potions, that will corrupt any human who drinks them. It will not change your heart, but it will change the body of any who drink it. They have suborned several in the palace kitchen, including Guenivieve, a cook of salads, and the wine steward, who bears their messages." Dame Brionna nodded. "We will need to attack their base quickly. Can you show us where it is?" The skaven waved, and an image of the Canberry sewers appeared. A large black spot throbbed near its center. "There. Will you be able to find that?" "We should."</blockquote>

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