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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Cafu" data-source="post: 6202415" data-attributes="member: 6692807"><p>We were so exhausted after our conflict the previous night that we woke up when the weak sun was at its zenith in the sky. That meant the Felix could not access a new group of spells yet although John and I were able to learn our arcane magic.</p><p> </p><p>We were still feeling out of sorts; the whole area was fairly depressing; the elves were not exactly forthcoming although I did notice that Victor and Longhelim were in deep conversation. The warrior had his falchion out and was showing the paladin several positions and stances, as if trying to convey some new techniques to him. Longhelim was attempting to duplicate them but they did not look suitable for his type of sword.</p><p> </p><p>Then Lkendreis approached us; however, before she reached us, she stopped and went to one side of the henge, where she seemed to be looking askance into thin air several times. Then she approached us and we offered to share our meal with her which she accepted. As we were eating, she looked directly at John and said:</p><p> </p><p>“I will think on what you said.”</p><p> </p><p>I raised my eyebrows and looked at him but decided to say nothing for the moment. I was very intrigued though.</p><p> </p><p>As she sat down and took some of the food, she asked:</p><p> </p><p>“So, what is your plan? Do you know what you are going to do next?”</p><p> </p><p>Longhelim took a puff of his pipe and a sip of his drink; then he turned to me.</p><p> </p><p>“Faden, I don’t doubt for one moment that you have been thinking about our next steps. Would you mind thinking out loud?”</p><p> </p><p>Longhelim knew me too well. Of course I had been thinking about our future course of action and of course, I couldn’t reveal it completely to Lkendreis as then I would immediately be labeled “a threat.”</p><p> </p><p>So, I began to speak quietly:</p><p> </p><p>“We were badly hurt last night; the Taranesti specters almost succeeded in wiping us out. Our priest is still without his spells and John is also severely weakened. Leaving this comparatively safe haven would be a mistake at this time; I think we should rest here at least one more day, until our priests regain their spells.</p><p> </p><p>Our other major obstacle is that spells which deal with positive energy, as it is called, are very difficult to cast in this region; somehow, they’re almost prohibited. I have been trying to find out the reason for this but so far I have not been able to resolve this conundrum. Lkendreis, do you know if there is any way around this? You and your allies have been here far longer that we; have you managed to cast these spells without hindrance? Or maybe Shalosha has found a way?”</p><p> </p><p>I looked at her expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>She frowned and then slowly said:</p><p> </p><p>“I am afraid my expertise is more in the arcane arts, which are not governed by these energies, although I do know what you allude to as regards priestly spells. Strange you should mention Shalosha; I was in touch with her magically a short while ago and she was also keen to find out your future plans. However, as regards your initial question, no, we have not found a way to circumvent this strange magical prohibition that is prevalent in this place; it is a legacy of the curse left by the Taranesti and outside our scope of knowledge.”</p><p> </p><p>I grimaced. It was the answer I expected but not the one I had hoped to hear. So I continued:</p><p> </p><p>“Unfortunately, this magical anomaly limits us severely as it plays havoc with Felix’s ability to heal us, especially the warriors. This proved almost fatal last night; therefore, it is very difficult to decide just how to proceed. We could continue to the travel into the forest but it is likely that we would be attacked by undead again; also, as your scouts have not been able to find the Lost City, I do not think that we would be able to do so; as such, there seems to be little point in wondering into the forest at this time.</p><p> </p><p>We could go to visit to the Temple of Echoed Souls……”</p><p> </p><p>John interrupted me at this point:</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve mentioned this Temple several times; just what is it and where does it feature in this place?”</p><p> </p><p>“The Temple is the former home of the Order of Echoed Souls; according to legend, it is supposed to be empty as the monks left for some unspecified reason. Anyway, it is also supposed to be full of Echoed Souls; honestly, I have no idea what that is.”</p><p> </p><p>Longhelim took his pipe out of his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Wasn’t it also supposed to be full of undead?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” I replied. “Apparently, it is said that it is also full of phantoms who failed to become Echoed Souls; they’re probably very unhappy about this.”</p><p> </p><p>Although I didn’t voice it, but I had a suspicion that the specters which attacked us last night were more likely to be the phantoms from the Temple rather than any remains of a Taranesti curse but I had no proof either way; it did seem odd that the specters all looked like barbaric elves though.</p><p> </p><p>Then I summed up.</p><p> </p><p>“To be honest Lkendreis, I don’t actually know what we are going to do next at the moment although for the very short term, we would like to rest another day until our priest at least prays for his spells. Then we will make a decision.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded and spent a little more time with us, sharing our food, chatting about inconsequential things. Then she stood up and joined the leonal.</p><p> </p><p>When she left, I spoke quietly to the others:</p><p> </p><p>“What I said to her was almost all truth; I really don’t have much of an idea as to what we should do next. John, what was that first part about? What is she thinking about?”</p><p> </p><p>John was very serious when he replied:</p><p> </p><p>“If it works, you’ll know very soon. If it doesn’t, then you’ll be no the wiser. More importantly, if you don’t know anything then you won’t have to tell any lies; and the outsiders are very good at knowing when anyone is lying to them; also, much as I hate to tell you Faden, you’re not a very good liar.”</p><p> </p><p>Then he stood up and wondered off, in the direction of the avoral, Chaeluk. He sat down and began speaking to her. A little bemused, I sat down, took out my spell book and began to make various annotations in it; there were several things that had occurred to me which I needed to record in my books; theoretical ideas about spells mainly. Soon, I lost myself in this task.</p><p> </p><p>I wasn’t paying any attention to what the others were doing until I noticed that John had returned and the others had gathered all around him, with the exception of Drudge who was roaming around somewhere.</p><p> </p><p>John began to talk quietly:</p><p> </p><p>“Well that was interesting. Chaeluk seems very nice and was quite willing to talk.</p><p> </p><p>The guardinals have both been here for a very long time, long before the Burning Sky, as they call it; but they have only joined the Shahalesti quite recently and Chaeluk feels a personal bond to Lkendreis; she didn’t go into details about that. I don’t know if Manrik the leonal feels the same but it could be safe to assume that this is the case. She doesn’t know the details about the Taranesti Crusade and doesn’t seem to be very interested in finding out; nor is she interested in finding out about the Resistance. She is very much allied to the Shahalesti in general and Lkendreis in particular. I suspect the Manrik feels the same on that score as well.“</p><p> </p><p>Victor spoke quietly, glancing up from where he had been honing his falchion:</p><p> </p><p>“I hope your plan, whatever it is, works. I would find it very difficult to confront these outsiders.”</p><p> </p><p>“As would I,” added Longhelim.</p><p> </p><p>“It should work! It will work!”</p><p> </p><p>With that, John went to find Drudge.</p><p> </p><p>I glanced at Chaeluk. The avoral seemed quite affable, according to John, so after a few moments thought, I rose and approached her.</p><p> </p><p>“Lady Chaeluk, my name is Faden and I would converse with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sit, sit, dwarf Faden; it is some time since I have been among your folk, but I have always found them to be a good and hardy people. So, what can I do for you?”</p><p> </p><p>That was encouraging. As reported, she seemed very affable and willing to converse. So, I told her a little about our adventures beneath the tunnels of Seaquen, the strange passage which led to the Planes of Fire and Water, with the room that provided the vast, panoramic views of the two planes.</p><p> </p><p>Then I continued:</p><p> </p><p>“So, this has left me with a great curiosity about other planes of existence. The Burning Sky prevents us from going to any of these planes ourselves, but if you could spare a few moments of your time to tell me a little about the Plane of Elysium, then I would be most grateful.”</p><p> </p><p>The Avoral was nothing loth and began almost immediately; she was obviously very proud of her plane:</p><p> </p><p>“The plane of Elysium is a place of goodness and light, where consideration, tolerance, forbearance and forgiveness are paramount. It has four layers, all connected by the mighty river, Oceanus; the first is Amoria, with its colour; you have never seen so many shades of all the colours in the world. They positively shimmer. The second is Eronia with its huge mountains and beautiful waterfalls as Oceanus meanders through the high ground; then we have the third layer, Belierin, the great marsh which teems with life and finally, there is Thasasia the last layer, where Oceanus meets the sea. Thasasia is mostly islands where great heroes rest after lives filled with striving for good.</p><p> </p><p>I hope to return there one day.”</p><p> </p><p>I sat there, entranced by her verbal portraits. She had a melodious voice and a wide vocabulary which suited the description of the marvel that was Elysium. We had a long, pleasant conversation about the plane and I resolved to write it all down as soon as we finished so that I forgot as little as possible.</p><p> </p><p>So, some time later, I thanked her for the time and returned to our section of the henge. Longhelim just looked at me while I told him about Elysium but he smiled as I immediately took out my journal and began to write it all down.</p><p> </p><p>I really hoped I would be able to visit there one day.</p><p> </p><p>John and Drudge returned and the ranger said quietly:</p><p> </p><p>“The scouts are getting ready to leave.”</p><p> </p><p>I looked up and sure enough, a goodly portion of the elves were shouldering packs, readying quivers and bows for travel and were about to set out. That left only the outsiders, the warrior and Lkendreis in the camp, so far as I could see. Drudge then sat down amongst us:</p><p> </p><p>“Good, they’re distracted. This will make it easier. I took John’s helm and had a look at those pictographs on the stones. They’re instructions for the ritual that has to be conducted at the henge every month: basically, an arcane and a divine spells caster have to walk in a specific direction, surrounding the henge while someone else dances with two swords in the middle; oh, and it has to be done in complete darkness. That will restore the power of the henge.”</p><p> </p><p>John frowned:</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t seem to be particularly sinister.”</p><p> </p><p>I had another thought:</p><p> </p><p>“Restore the power of the henge? Power to do what exactly?”</p><p> </p><p>No one had an answer to that question.</p><p> </p><p>Drudge handed the helm back to John:</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s not sinister at all and I have no idea what kind of power or what it did. My knowledge of this kind of magic is scant.”</p><p> </p><p>As was mine for that matter. We had a brief discussion which was inconclusive and then the elven scouts left. It was dusk by this time and we began to prepare the evening meal. We were finally beginning to relax; I just hoped that the night would pass uneventfully.</p><p> </p><p>My wish came true. We shared another meal with Lkendreis and her bodyguard and then slept undisturbed during the night, which was a very pleasant novelty. The next morning, when we woke up, we found that Lkendreis and the others were packing and getting ready to leave. They turned around, waved to us and then abandoned the henge. I was very surprised but endeavoured to make sure that it did not show on my face. Whatever it was that John had planned, well, it seemed to have worked.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as they had gone some distance, I whirled around to the rogue and almost demanded:</p><p> </p><p>“Right, so, just what is going on? Why did they leave? Just what did you finagle here?”</p><p> </p><p>John looked smug and said:</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s leave it for a while. They may still return and my comment from previously still holds. Just remember, Faden, as I’ve said before, it’s all a game; the greatest game in the world!”</p><p> </p><p>I grumbled and muttered but Longhelim just smiled and lit his pipe. Then Felix called out:</p><p> </p><p>“Right, let’s sit down to breakfast.”</p><p> </p><p>He conjured the usual miraculous meal and as I was munching, I said:</p><p> </p><p>“Well, now we have achieved this, we’d better get to the main elven camp and see if we can rescue the Taranesti they have captured. What was his name again? Liat? Yes, Liat, that’s it. I need to get the map out to see just how long it’s going to take us to get there. We’re approximately here and their camp is there so…….”</p><p> </p><p>I was interrupted by John, who was looking a little perturbed:</p><p> </p><p>“Right, we need to lower our voices now.”</p><p> </p><p>Whispering, he added:</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t we going to find Fayne now? And look for the city?”</p><p> </p><p>Longhelim turned to John and, at the same volume, replied:</p><p> </p><p>“Not yet. As Faden is saying, the arrangement was that we have to rescue Liat from the Shahalesti camp; once we have achieved this, she will find us and then hopefully either lead us or tell us how to get to Phorros Irrendra.”</p><p> </p><p>John turned more serious.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I’d better tell you about my little arrangement with Lkendreis then; I told her that if they left the henge then we would be led to the city by the Taranesti and they would have an opportunity to follow us. I left the details up to her but if we don’t give her at least an opportunity to follow us, then she’ll be straight back here, doing what she had been doing before.”</p><p> </p><p>Longhelim took his pipe out:</p><p> </p><p>“Is that what you negotiated, John? That was very clever of you. I’m surprised she agreed to it.”</p><p> </p><p>I snorted:</p><p> </p><p>“She didn’t agree to it. Shalosha did! This lot wouldn’t move without Shalosha’s say so. Still, it is a very clever move, John; you managed to make them move without a conflict and this could still work. If what you say is right, then they will set up camp quite close, waiting to track us. So, all we need is to go South first and rescue this Liat; the trick will be to make sure that they cannot see us going in that direction rather than back into the forest.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix interrupted at this point, grinning mischiveously:</p><p> </p><p>“They won’t see us if we are clouds in the sky.”</p><p> </p><p>It hit me:</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, we can fly down there with your spell, Felix. Then, hopefully if we rescue Liat, we can get up here again and set out, walking into the forest, as agreed with Lkendreis. The Shahalesti will follow us but to be frank, Fayne is very wood crafty, much better than the Shahalesti, I think; in fact, it would not surprise me if she was watching us as we are discussing this; she will know exactly where we are, where our Shahalesti trackers are and I am sure she will have a plan as to how to get in touch with us without Shahalesti interference.”</p><p> </p><p>Drudge said:</p><p> </p><p>“You have a lot of confidence in her.”</p><p> </p><p>I replied:</p><p> </p><p>“I do, but with justification; do you remember in the forest? We found a whole Shahalesti patrol, dead, some of them savaged by a large animal, while others bore slashing wounds; that was almost certainly her and that fox; then, Drudge found that other Shahalesti patrol and they were deliberately hiding from us; when she approached us, she already knew that we had fought them, and approached us at a time and place of her choosing. We had no inkling she was anywhere nearby. No, I am certain that lady knows that forest like the back of her hand and she will run rings around any Shahalesti tracking party.</p><p> </p><p>In fact, this explains why she did not set a meeting place after we completed the tasks. She knew that we would be running around the forest like a bunch of amateurs, Drudge excepted; I think she’s even counting on the Shahalesti following us and maybe she has some pleasant surprises ready for them.</p><p> </p><p>So, let’s follow John’s plan and let her sort out any trackers we may have. Remember, to both groups of elves, we’re only the dumb foreigners who are blundering about in a place we really know little about.”</p><p> </p><p>Taking a spoon out of his mouth, Victor murmured:</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not far off the truth. Let’s also remember; if this works out the way we want and we actually manage to obtain the Torch, then both groups of elves will want to get their hands on it.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix dusted his hands and the rose up:</p><p> </p><p>“Enough eating! We have a journey to make!”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cafu, post: 6202415, member: 6692807"] We were so exhausted after our conflict the previous night that we woke up when the weak sun was at its zenith in the sky. That meant the Felix could not access a new group of spells yet although John and I were able to learn our arcane magic. We were still feeling out of sorts; the whole area was fairly depressing; the elves were not exactly forthcoming although I did notice that Victor and Longhelim were in deep conversation. The warrior had his falchion out and was showing the paladin several positions and stances, as if trying to convey some new techniques to him. Longhelim was attempting to duplicate them but they did not look suitable for his type of sword. Then Lkendreis approached us; however, before she reached us, she stopped and went to one side of the henge, where she seemed to be looking askance into thin air several times. Then she approached us and we offered to share our meal with her which she accepted. As we were eating, she looked directly at John and said: “I will think on what you said.” I raised my eyebrows and looked at him but decided to say nothing for the moment. I was very intrigued though. As she sat down and took some of the food, she asked: “So, what is your plan? Do you know what you are going to do next?” Longhelim took a puff of his pipe and a sip of his drink; then he turned to me. “Faden, I don’t doubt for one moment that you have been thinking about our next steps. Would you mind thinking out loud?” Longhelim knew me too well. Of course I had been thinking about our future course of action and of course, I couldn’t reveal it completely to Lkendreis as then I would immediately be labeled “a threat.” So, I began to speak quietly: “We were badly hurt last night; the Taranesti specters almost succeeded in wiping us out. Our priest is still without his spells and John is also severely weakened. Leaving this comparatively safe haven would be a mistake at this time; I think we should rest here at least one more day, until our priests regain their spells. Our other major obstacle is that spells which deal with positive energy, as it is called, are very difficult to cast in this region; somehow, they’re almost prohibited. I have been trying to find out the reason for this but so far I have not been able to resolve this conundrum. Lkendreis, do you know if there is any way around this? You and your allies have been here far longer that we; have you managed to cast these spells without hindrance? Or maybe Shalosha has found a way?” I looked at her expectantly. She frowned and then slowly said: “I am afraid my expertise is more in the arcane arts, which are not governed by these energies, although I do know what you allude to as regards priestly spells. Strange you should mention Shalosha; I was in touch with her magically a short while ago and she was also keen to find out your future plans. However, as regards your initial question, no, we have not found a way to circumvent this strange magical prohibition that is prevalent in this place; it is a legacy of the curse left by the Taranesti and outside our scope of knowledge.” I grimaced. It was the answer I expected but not the one I had hoped to hear. So I continued: “Unfortunately, this magical anomaly limits us severely as it plays havoc with Felix’s ability to heal us, especially the warriors. This proved almost fatal last night; therefore, it is very difficult to decide just how to proceed. We could continue to the travel into the forest but it is likely that we would be attacked by undead again; also, as your scouts have not been able to find the Lost City, I do not think that we would be able to do so; as such, there seems to be little point in wondering into the forest at this time. We could go to visit to the Temple of Echoed Souls……” John interrupted me at this point: “You’ve mentioned this Temple several times; just what is it and where does it feature in this place?” “The Temple is the former home of the Order of Echoed Souls; according to legend, it is supposed to be empty as the monks left for some unspecified reason. Anyway, it is also supposed to be full of Echoed Souls; honestly, I have no idea what that is.” Longhelim took his pipe out of his mouth. “Wasn’t it also supposed to be full of undead?” “Yes,” I replied. “Apparently, it is said that it is also full of phantoms who failed to become Echoed Souls; they’re probably very unhappy about this.” Although I didn’t voice it, but I had a suspicion that the specters which attacked us last night were more likely to be the phantoms from the Temple rather than any remains of a Taranesti curse but I had no proof either way; it did seem odd that the specters all looked like barbaric elves though. Then I summed up. “To be honest Lkendreis, I don’t actually know what we are going to do next at the moment although for the very short term, we would like to rest another day until our priest at least prays for his spells. Then we will make a decision.” She nodded and spent a little more time with us, sharing our food, chatting about inconsequential things. Then she stood up and joined the leonal. When she left, I spoke quietly to the others: “What I said to her was almost all truth; I really don’t have much of an idea as to what we should do next. John, what was that first part about? What is she thinking about?” John was very serious when he replied: “If it works, you’ll know very soon. If it doesn’t, then you’ll be no the wiser. More importantly, if you don’t know anything then you won’t have to tell any lies; and the outsiders are very good at knowing when anyone is lying to them; also, much as I hate to tell you Faden, you’re not a very good liar.” Then he stood up and wondered off, in the direction of the avoral, Chaeluk. He sat down and began speaking to her. A little bemused, I sat down, took out my spell book and began to make various annotations in it; there were several things that had occurred to me which I needed to record in my books; theoretical ideas about spells mainly. Soon, I lost myself in this task. I wasn’t paying any attention to what the others were doing until I noticed that John had returned and the others had gathered all around him, with the exception of Drudge who was roaming around somewhere. John began to talk quietly: “Well that was interesting. Chaeluk seems very nice and was quite willing to talk. The guardinals have both been here for a very long time, long before the Burning Sky, as they call it; but they have only joined the Shahalesti quite recently and Chaeluk feels a personal bond to Lkendreis; she didn’t go into details about that. I don’t know if Manrik the leonal feels the same but it could be safe to assume that this is the case. She doesn’t know the details about the Taranesti Crusade and doesn’t seem to be very interested in finding out; nor is she interested in finding out about the Resistance. She is very much allied to the Shahalesti in general and Lkendreis in particular. I suspect the Manrik feels the same on that score as well.“ Victor spoke quietly, glancing up from where he had been honing his falchion: “I hope your plan, whatever it is, works. I would find it very difficult to confront these outsiders.” “As would I,” added Longhelim. “It should work! It will work!” With that, John went to find Drudge. I glanced at Chaeluk. The avoral seemed quite affable, according to John, so after a few moments thought, I rose and approached her. “Lady Chaeluk, my name is Faden and I would converse with you.” “Sit, sit, dwarf Faden; it is some time since I have been among your folk, but I have always found them to be a good and hardy people. So, what can I do for you?” That was encouraging. As reported, she seemed very affable and willing to converse. So, I told her a little about our adventures beneath the tunnels of Seaquen, the strange passage which led to the Planes of Fire and Water, with the room that provided the vast, panoramic views of the two planes. Then I continued: “So, this has left me with a great curiosity about other planes of existence. The Burning Sky prevents us from going to any of these planes ourselves, but if you could spare a few moments of your time to tell me a little about the Plane of Elysium, then I would be most grateful.” The Avoral was nothing loth and began almost immediately; she was obviously very proud of her plane: “The plane of Elysium is a place of goodness and light, where consideration, tolerance, forbearance and forgiveness are paramount. It has four layers, all connected by the mighty river, Oceanus; the first is Amoria, with its colour; you have never seen so many shades of all the colours in the world. They positively shimmer. The second is Eronia with its huge mountains and beautiful waterfalls as Oceanus meanders through the high ground; then we have the third layer, Belierin, the great marsh which teems with life and finally, there is Thasasia the last layer, where Oceanus meets the sea. Thasasia is mostly islands where great heroes rest after lives filled with striving for good. I hope to return there one day.” I sat there, entranced by her verbal portraits. She had a melodious voice and a wide vocabulary which suited the description of the marvel that was Elysium. We had a long, pleasant conversation about the plane and I resolved to write it all down as soon as we finished so that I forgot as little as possible. So, some time later, I thanked her for the time and returned to our section of the henge. Longhelim just looked at me while I told him about Elysium but he smiled as I immediately took out my journal and began to write it all down. I really hoped I would be able to visit there one day. John and Drudge returned and the ranger said quietly: “The scouts are getting ready to leave.” I looked up and sure enough, a goodly portion of the elves were shouldering packs, readying quivers and bows for travel and were about to set out. That left only the outsiders, the warrior and Lkendreis in the camp, so far as I could see. Drudge then sat down amongst us: “Good, they’re distracted. This will make it easier. I took John’s helm and had a look at those pictographs on the stones. They’re instructions for the ritual that has to be conducted at the henge every month: basically, an arcane and a divine spells caster have to walk in a specific direction, surrounding the henge while someone else dances with two swords in the middle; oh, and it has to be done in complete darkness. That will restore the power of the henge.” John frowned: “That doesn’t seem to be particularly sinister.” I had another thought: “Restore the power of the henge? Power to do what exactly?” No one had an answer to that question. Drudge handed the helm back to John: “No, it’s not sinister at all and I have no idea what kind of power or what it did. My knowledge of this kind of magic is scant.” As was mine for that matter. We had a brief discussion which was inconclusive and then the elven scouts left. It was dusk by this time and we began to prepare the evening meal. We were finally beginning to relax; I just hoped that the night would pass uneventfully. My wish came true. We shared another meal with Lkendreis and her bodyguard and then slept undisturbed during the night, which was a very pleasant novelty. The next morning, when we woke up, we found that Lkendreis and the others were packing and getting ready to leave. They turned around, waved to us and then abandoned the henge. I was very surprised but endeavoured to make sure that it did not show on my face. Whatever it was that John had planned, well, it seemed to have worked. As soon as they had gone some distance, I whirled around to the rogue and almost demanded: “Right, so, just what is going on? Why did they leave? Just what did you finagle here?” John looked smug and said: “Let’s leave it for a while. They may still return and my comment from previously still holds. Just remember, Faden, as I’ve said before, it’s all a game; the greatest game in the world!” I grumbled and muttered but Longhelim just smiled and lit his pipe. Then Felix called out: “Right, let’s sit down to breakfast.” He conjured the usual miraculous meal and as I was munching, I said: “Well, now we have achieved this, we’d better get to the main elven camp and see if we can rescue the Taranesti they have captured. What was his name again? Liat? Yes, Liat, that’s it. I need to get the map out to see just how long it’s going to take us to get there. We’re approximately here and their camp is there so…….” I was interrupted by John, who was looking a little perturbed: “Right, we need to lower our voices now.” Whispering, he added: “Aren’t we going to find Fayne now? And look for the city?” Longhelim turned to John and, at the same volume, replied: “Not yet. As Faden is saying, the arrangement was that we have to rescue Liat from the Shahalesti camp; once we have achieved this, she will find us and then hopefully either lead us or tell us how to get to Phorros Irrendra.” John turned more serious. “Ah, I’d better tell you about my little arrangement with Lkendreis then; I told her that if they left the henge then we would be led to the city by the Taranesti and they would have an opportunity to follow us. I left the details up to her but if we don’t give her at least an opportunity to follow us, then she’ll be straight back here, doing what she had been doing before.” Longhelim took his pipe out: “Is that what you negotiated, John? That was very clever of you. I’m surprised she agreed to it.” I snorted: “She didn’t agree to it. Shalosha did! This lot wouldn’t move without Shalosha’s say so. Still, it is a very clever move, John; you managed to make them move without a conflict and this could still work. If what you say is right, then they will set up camp quite close, waiting to track us. So, all we need is to go South first and rescue this Liat; the trick will be to make sure that they cannot see us going in that direction rather than back into the forest.” Felix interrupted at this point, grinning mischiveously: “They won’t see us if we are clouds in the sky.” It hit me: “Of course, we can fly down there with your spell, Felix. Then, hopefully if we rescue Liat, we can get up here again and set out, walking into the forest, as agreed with Lkendreis. The Shahalesti will follow us but to be frank, Fayne is very wood crafty, much better than the Shahalesti, I think; in fact, it would not surprise me if she was watching us as we are discussing this; she will know exactly where we are, where our Shahalesti trackers are and I am sure she will have a plan as to how to get in touch with us without Shahalesti interference.” Drudge said: “You have a lot of confidence in her.” I replied: “I do, but with justification; do you remember in the forest? We found a whole Shahalesti patrol, dead, some of them savaged by a large animal, while others bore slashing wounds; that was almost certainly her and that fox; then, Drudge found that other Shahalesti patrol and they were deliberately hiding from us; when she approached us, she already knew that we had fought them, and approached us at a time and place of her choosing. We had no inkling she was anywhere nearby. No, I am certain that lady knows that forest like the back of her hand and she will run rings around any Shahalesti tracking party. In fact, this explains why she did not set a meeting place after we completed the tasks. She knew that we would be running around the forest like a bunch of amateurs, Drudge excepted; I think she’s even counting on the Shahalesti following us and maybe she has some pleasant surprises ready for them. So, let’s follow John’s plan and let her sort out any trackers we may have. Remember, to both groups of elves, we’re only the dumb foreigners who are blundering about in a place we really know little about.” Taking a spoon out of his mouth, Victor murmured: “That’s not far off the truth. Let’s also remember; if this works out the way we want and we actually manage to obtain the Torch, then both groups of elves will want to get their hands on it.” Felix dusted his hands and the rose up: “Enough eating! We have a journey to make!” [/QUOTE]
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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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