It had taken every ounce of restraint on Lora's part not to react to Trinahm's praise, nor to this Lurik fellows' remark. Inside, she felt quite happy that the Sorcerer had acknowledged her worth without anyone imposing it, and had voiced it now. She would even let the remark of "despite being female" slip. This time.
Emotions hindered her mind, and she couldn't just think or feel, it was always both and that really annoyed Lora. Carefully, the girl tried to calm herself down and revise the plan. She also tried to remmeber anything useful she had heard of the Treylor.
In the mean time, she gave a quick nod and a sparkling eye to Trinham, and spoke.
"Lurik's plan of hydra eating elf, elf killing hydra, while we stand to the side and do some knitting sounds good, if we could actually make it work. However, in reality, I am loathe to bet our success on the off chance that such a simple minded creature as the hydra would prove obedient and thus useful."
Lora took a breath and rubbed her temples, looking around the room. There was some paper and a quill and ink bottle nearby. The girl carefully cleared a table, removing some dusty accounting tomes and handing them over to Jareth without looking, him simply being in the closest proximity at the moment.
"I haven't had the time to inspect Harkon Manor fully, hence my original suggestion and Vance's remark that it was flawed. I had thought that the water and bridge would indeed isolate the keep properly here - the girl began drawing a scetch of the manor to the best of her ability, as she had seen only the front and was now in a hurry. -
however unless high tide is comming tonight, it seems the water is shallow enough to be crossed on foot, or at least that is what Lord Valorn said. This - she splotted a thick black line to emphasize her point. - is what Vannce said to be a weak point in the wall that could be easily overrun. I want to know if we can plant stakes or wagons there so that we can block it off..."
With some humming and a furrowed brow the girl threw down some more lines, and soon there was a crude map of the manor and it's surroundings before them. She gestured the others to gather around, and continued.
"Now, here is what we know - we cannot fight them man for man, as they are numerically supperior. - Lora cleared her throat as she scribbled the point over on another piece of paper. It helped her concentration when she wrote facts down. -
We cannot win via ranged combat unless we have a tremendeous advantage such as battlements or towers and siege engines. A simple hilltop will be insufficient as the Elves have proven to be supperior archers. We cannot let them advance on the manor as that would ensure civilan casualties."
Lora thought for a moment, unknowingly placing an ink smudge on her white cheek as she concentrated. There was a book she had read, written by a famous tactitian some several thousand years ago. The tactics described there still held true to this day.
"The art of war, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: The Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; The Commander; Method and discipline." The girl quoted from memory, as she wrote down each point.
"I am sure to our own, we hold the moral law. We are fighting for survival and the defense of these people's homes and land. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and the seasons. To this i say we are at a disadvantage should nightfall come, as Vance already observed. On the other hand, should it rain or should a strong wind come, archery would be greatly disadvantegous. A good downpour will render their bows unusable, and a favorable breeze coming from the sea will shorten the range of their weapons. Fortunately, there is always a seabreaze during the day, so we will be at a double advantage if we fight close to the manor grounds during daytime, and at a double disadvantage should we let them come at night, with land breeze aiding their shots."
Lora spoke quickly, as her brain worked on several levels at the same time, thinking and plotting.
"Moving fowrard, Earth is the aformetioned terrain and country advantage. We could sieze that, but I would say that it be better to lure the Elves into entangling ground or rugged terrain, so that they cannot hit and run or take cover, and we can ride them down. We have the advantage of local knowledge and guides, perhaps a shepherd who has traversed the nearby countriside would prove useful in this manner."
Lora looked around with a darting stare but continued talking and writing.
"The commander - we do not know the enemy, which is to our disadvantage. It is safe to assume however, that he is a captain at most, as this is a mobile raiding party. Vance spearheading the attack will be good for morale, but the real tactics are formed here. I'd say we have the advantage as far as command comes, between our combined effords and Vance's leadership. Lastly, we get to Method and discipline, and this is where we are lacking, as the Treylor seem highly disciplined and drilled soldiers, while we are only several horsemen, a milita rabble and peasants with pitchforks. Not to mention we are far inferior in number and lack good composition. This is a definite disadvantage."
Lora paused, she had been talking for a good while now, and was not certain how the others would stomach her monologue. She also needed some time to put the factors together and come out with the best strategy. The map and the list helped her greatly in this task.
"There is a way to ensure our position is not assaulted - we hit something they are compelled to defend. We just have to strike where they do not expect us. Lighting their tents on fire could work, but we will need some Alchemist’s Fire to do so effectively and quickly..." Lora's voice trailed off as she bit her lip and began planning several moves ahead, for several different plans.
[sblock]Sorry for the long post, i have been away
However, i did re-read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" while on vacation, so i thought i'd use it here.
Lora's relevant rolls:
Knowledge: History (20), Nobility and Royalty (17), Local (13) - fixed, added the correct +11 bonus.
Craft: Drawing (22) - for the map. - same fix as above[/sblock]
[/sblock]
