006. Adventure, rejected

[Corwin]

[20:11] <Kotono> ------
[20:12] <Kotono> The message comes at the crack of dawn. Pages to each of the four party members, insisting that the rise and come to meet Commander Oberuth this very moment. There is urgency in their words, unusual awakenings. By the time dawn has risen fully, the party is gathered in the meeting room. The Commander awaits there, stern faced and solemn.
[20:15] * Shamal offers her usual just not quite perfect salute as she enters, "Good morning, sir."
[20:15] <Kotono> "Sit." The words are quick and sharp, the blonde Bear's arms crossed.
[20:16] * Berlioz covers his mouth, hiding a yawn as he enters. "... good morning."
[20:16] * Seira is quick to obey, after a salute of her own.
[20:17] * Shamal promptly sits down with no further words, waiting for the commander to get to the business he so obviously craves to commence.
[20:18] * Lyselle slips into the room a few moments late, saluting and following the obvious examples of her colleagues to find a seat, smiling.
[20:18] <Kotono> "Two of you have met Khardon already?" His manner is brisk as he stands, "He'll be addressing all of you today."
[20:19] <Shamal> "Regarding what, sir?" Shamal asks curiously, repressing the urge to smile. This seems all business.
[20:20] * Lyselle nods slightly, the flush of embarrassmnet long past by now, and addressing the whole thing with a serious, if somewhat pleased expression.
[20:21] <Kotono> "Business regarding Malmuth." At this the Bear goes out of the room, and as he exits Khardon enters. He smiles just a moment at Lyselle and then Shamal, but his face too is quite serious. "Good morning, and I'll spare you the rest as I get to business."
[20:24] * Shamal attentively listens without interruption!
[20:26] * Sailor_Jupiter is now known as Makoto
[20:27] <Kotono> Reaching into his jerkin, "The higher ups in the capital are impressed with your deeds. Further, the prize offered by Malmuth is incredibly tempting."
[20:30] <Kotono> With no words coming, "We have a chance to get our hands on a prize valued by Malmuth, and make sure they can't use it against us. The opportunity is too good to pass up."
[20:32] <Shamal> "You intend to try and trick them into giving us the holy sword offered to the elves?" Shamal asks to clarify. "A rather audacious plan, if so..."
[20:33] <Seira> "Do you intend to maintain the illusion of cooperation from the side of the elven nation," Seira asks, "or is the plan to take that sword by force?"
[20:33] <Kotono> "Yes. Further, we're offering you the chance to be the ones to go." Khardon goes and sits, "Now. I'll be honest, there are some that call this a suicide mission. It won't be easy, even with the help we have. You'll have to loop about a week through the barbarian lands then pass the Malmuth border, make it to Valandia, manage to trick them, get the sword, and get away safely."
[20:34] <Kotono> "Keep the illusion. Our paramount goal to make sure we aren't connected to this."
[20:35] <Seira> "We lack a pair of teleportation rings, one of which is keyed to the elven capital," Seira points out.
[20:37] <Kotono> Taking his hand out from his jerkin, a small pair of gold rings are placed on the table. "These have exactly one charge in them - they're nothing more than holders for a single teleportation spell. But..." SMiling a bit, "WE can stretch our resources just enough to fool them if you're willing to try, or at least listen to the plan."
[20:38] * Shamal shakes her head slowly. "So much could go wrong at any stage in this to doom us and spark a war," she notes, before smiling bravely, "But ours is not to reason why. What does the plan entail?"
[20:41] <Kotono> "You'll be going unofficially. No matter what will you be connected to us." Khardon smiles, a tight, lipless grin. "Further, two of you can be...changed somewhat, to further the deception. The lovely Countess Stronger has been contacted, and she is a mage capable of weaving two of you into the guise of elves. While there is a danger...that will help." (More)
[20:43] <Kotono> Khardon stands, speaking as he paces about. "Your goals are as follows. Pass through the barbarian lands safely and cross over the Malmuth border.  Proceed to Valandia and the meeting place. If you feel that you can get the trade done successfully, do so. If not, the ring's sole charges will allow you to escape back safely. Once you get the sword, go back and cross the border and retrace your steps. You cannot cross the border close to Balmuri
[20:43] <Kotono> border close to Balmuria unless the guise is entirely blown, as we must avoid that flagrant a provocation."
[20:44] <Kotono> "Further, if you accept, you will be given 300 gold each to purchase supplies. If you succeed and bring back the sword, Lord Salman himself will personally reconize each of you."
[20:49] <Seira> "It shall be done!" Seira vows, eagerness to match herself against Malmuth's finest once more shining in her eyes.
[20:49] <Lyselle> "I have an increasingly bad feeling about our survival rate here..." Lyselle murmured dryly, rubbing a little at her temple, and sitting back in her chair.
[20:49] * Seira ignores the naysayers!
[20:50] <Shamal> "Well, when duty calls..." Shamal gives Lyselle an encouraging smile, trying to live up to Seira's enthusiasm. "We've done okay so far, haven't we?"
[20:50] <Kotono> Khardon smiles a tiny bit at Seira, but speaks to Lyselle. "It's not an easy quest. There's someone you know who called it 'suicide for 300 golds.'. No one will think less of you if you decline."
[20:54] <Berlioz> "My main doubt is whether we are prepared for this or not. It is a suicidal mission with the kind of corps we have right now. And, even if the quest goes alright, Malmuth and the elves -will- eventually find out about the scam, and Balmuria is dead if they decide to assault us. But then, we're in a delicate situation as is..."
[20:58] <Kotono> "We are. We'll deal with the sword if you get it back. We won't order any of you, this sort of mission has to be voluntary. Do you need some time to decide?"
[21:03] * Berlioz sighs. "I think we should decide this as a group, since it seems like we have a rather large split. Once we sort out our stance, we'll give you a response."
[21:04] <Kotono> "Very well. I'll return in an hour." Khardon rises and leaves, the party left alone.
[21:07] * Berlioz crosses his arms and looks expectantly at Shamal and Seira, expecting them to say something. "Well?", the bard raises an eyebrow.
[21:08] * Seira reverts to her original, apathetic self, almost exuding it.
[21:10] <Shamal> "Well, I'm not too worried about the barbarian lands," Shamal begins. "I did used to live in them, after all," she adds under her breath, "But tricking Malmuth out of their holy relic won't be easy in the least. I don't doubt they have mages on par with or better than Countess Stronger there, after all."
[21:12] <Berlioz> "It's not simply biting more than we can chew. It's biting more than the entirety of Balmuria can chew. While we might be seen as promising cadets, we are definitely not skilled, nor strong enough to manage such a mission with -any- odds of survival. The payoff to this mission, if accomplished, is brutally good. But we just can't hope to achieve it as we are - and never will, most likely, since this opportunity will not present itself again
[21:14] <Berlioz>  The payoff to this mission, if accomplished, is brutally good. But we just can't hope to achieve it as we are - and never will, most likely, since this opportunity will not present itself again", the bard ennumerates calmly. "Presencing history is pointless if you won't live to write it down."
[21:16] <Lyselle> "It's the magic that worries me most...other than possibly whatever small army of rangers Malmuth is willing to put towards hunting its sword down if we don't pull the lies off perfectly," Lyselle nodsrubbing her forehead. "If they hold the rings and check the precisely before letting us have the sword? What then? I doubt we can fight our way out of a castle."
[21:18] <Berlioz> "We fooled a merchant. Doesn't mean we can fool an entire kingdom. At least, if we leave this as is, Malmuth will deal with the elven lands instead of us for long enough to let us slip under the radar. The offensive action Khardon suggested is brilliantly bold... but too bold for Balmuria to properly accomplish."
[21:18] <Shamal> "Plus there are spells that would let them divine the location of the sword after realising it has been stolen. Unless we simply stuck it in a heavily warded vault for all time, they would find out..." Shamal admits, starting to become convinced of the senselessness of this plan.
[21:20] * Berlioz nods. "Even if the plan succeeds, things can easily go wrong. It's suicide for the entire nation no matter what. We must be rational regarding this."
[21:26] * Lyselle just nods, clasping her hands. "I can't see a very good outcome, not without people much better at covering themselves and their trail than us," she adds softly.
[21:27] <Shamal> "A pity," Shamal sighs softly, glancing at Seira. "Would have been quite an adventure, but the risks are too high."
[21:30] <Kotono> So the time passes, Khardon returning to the room. He looks at the party, "Well?"
[21:31] * Berlioz raises from his chair, politely bowing. "Well, we have come to a conclusion, sir."
[21:33] <Kotono> "Go on," Khardon waits, "What's your decision?"
[21:34] * Berlioz coughs, and continues. "We will decline from this job. Even if we succeeded, a myriad of factors could go wrong, and put our nation in jeopardy. Not to mention that, if we fail, Balmuria will be at serious jeopardy as well. We don't think we can extract true success from such a perilous and risky maneuver."
[21:34] <Seira> "I can't do this alone," Seira adds blandly, hanging her head.
[21:35] * Shamal looks somewhat sad at Berlioz's assessment, but can't disagree with it either.
[21:36] <Kotono> "Very well. You're all dismissed then...Seira, would you stay a moment?" Khardon asks.
[21:37] * Seira stays, as asked.
[21:37] * Lyselle raises a pale eyebrow at the last part, but dutifully stands to slip away from the meeting.
[21:37] * Berlioz dusts off his clothes cerimoniously, and gets up, taking his leave. "Thank you, sir. Excuse me..."
[21:37] * Shamal gets up, murmuring a brief, "Sorry," as she passes by Seira and out of the room.
[21:38] <Kotono> Once all by Seira are gone, Khardon sits. "I assume the split was three to one against you?"
[21:40] <Seira> "I apologize for speaking out of turn," she responds, her voice now calm. "I should have made sure we were all in agreement. However, the simple fact remains that the elves would not send a single one of their number to deliver a priceless artifact. Therefore, I am regretfully unable to accomplish this mission."
[21:41] <Kotono> "I know." Khardon blows at his bangs, long and distant. "We wouldn't send you alone regardless. We'll just keep an eyeon Malmuth as they gnash their teeth at not getting any reply from elvenkind."
[21:42] <Seira> "What is our window, Sir?" she asks him. "And, if we possess such items, can another teleporting ring be made to send volunteers to the meeting site, cutting down on travel time dramatically?"
[21:43] <Kotono> "Not particularly, no. Our resources are quite limited, thus the difficulty gathering this much and the high appeal of such a mission. If we had succeeded, the sword would be invaluable if discreetly traded to the Desert Fiefdoms or the like."
[21:44] <Kotono> "Despite having a fresh land, we still lack magic, gold and potency. In 50 or a 100 years, this shouldn't be a problem, but..." Khardon just shrugs. "With Ferdi on the throne of Malmuth as well..."
[21:45] * Seira nods curtly.
[21:48] <Kotono> "Ah well, dismissed." Khardon shakes his head, "Worries of another day. All of you still did well to get that far."
[21:49] * Seira salutes, and steps outside.
[21:56] <Shamal> Shamal happens to be waiting outside just as Seira emerges, looking vaguely perturbed. "Seira?" she speaks up softly on seeing the half-elf. "What did the colonel say?"
[21:57] <Seira> "He agreed that I am incapable of meeting the mission requirements on my own," she says bitterly. "This is a dark day for Balmuria. We have preserved the status quo, alright, but the status quo is not in our favor. Quite the opposite."
[21:59] <Shamal> "I wouldn't go that far..." Shamal replies, taken aback by the venom from her friend. "But Lyselle and Berlioz were right - it's too dangerous, not just for us, but for the Baronies as well."
[22:00] <Seira> "What mission isn't?" Seira asks, and shakes her head. "And minds better than ours have weighed the potential risks and decided to go through with it. Without even a shred of the information available to them, how can we claim to be able to judge the situation better?"
[22:04] <Shamal> "Funny, I could have sworn I heard the word 'suicide' in there several times, and not from any of us," Shamal remarks dryly. Cocking her head and eyeing the shorter woman plainly, "You're really set on this, aren't you?" she asks.
[22:08] <Seira> "Whatever gave you that idea," Seira mutters quietly, before sighing. "We have conducted ourselves atrociously before our superior officers. We have disavowed the skills and knowledge we have trained for the past four years to attain. We admitted the worst, a lack of faith in ourselves. If we cannot trust in our skills, in our ability to succeed, how can we ever expect our superiors to?" She shakes her head. "This would have considerable reprecussions, a real mark on our service record."
[22:09] <Seira> "This would have considerable reprecussions, a real mark on our service record."
[22:11] <Shamal> "Oh, you can't really believe that," Shamal sighs, shaking her head. "You saw how the Commander looked before the Colonel came in - I'll bet you a month's pay that he's relieved we didn't jump at the suicide mission. There's faith and there's foolishness, Seira."
[22:12] <Seira> "I could accomplish it," she says quietly. "All I needed was...." She shakes her head again. "In any case, it's too late now, isn't it?"
[22:16] * Berlioz (assis_san@201.86.154.167.adsl.gvt.net.br) has joined #dunes
[22:16] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Berlioz
[22:18] <Shamal> "All you needed was our support?" Shamal finishes sadly. "I'm sorry, Seira. If it was just me, I probably would go along with you. But this is bigger than either of us."
[22:20] <Seira> "Yes. And we chose the wrong option. There are no good outcomes from this, not for us and not for Balmuria. We are surrendering the initiative and letting our enemy proceed as they wish."
[22:25] * Shamal purses her lips a moment, before she steps away from Seira and begins to pace.
[22:25] <Shamal> "Okay, let's say then, that we went on this mission. What happens when we meet the Malmuth delegation - with warriors and wizards to spare in defence of their precious artifact. And to see to the safety of their honoured guests, of course. And one of them casts a simple cantrip to see that we're draped in illusion magic? Or say one tries to strike up a conversation with me in Elvish?"
[22:28] <Seira> "I could pass for an elf without the aid of magic," Seira muses, her mind going over the planning. "Also, there are spells that negate the magical auras of other spells, and they would certainly not be beyond the Countess's reach. In fact, she gave me a scroll along the same vein earlier, and it could be used to conceal the sword from prying mages once we left." She pauses. "I can handle the conversation, and teach you a few simple phrases. If I nod the right way, you would say a predetermined one in response. If I pose as a head for the delegation, it is not beyond the realm of possible that I would like all communication to go through myself. The Malmuth delegation would not challenge that."
[22:29] <Seira>  "I can handle the conversation, and teach you a few simple phrases. If I nod the right way, you would say a predetermined one in response. If I pose as a head for the delegation, it is not beyond the realm of possible that I would like all communication to go through myself. The Malmuth delegation would not challenge that."
[22:34] <Shamal> "It's optimistic and leaves much to chance," Shamal observes. "What about defending spells that would probe our thoughts? We cannot count on mere mental toughness, and I certainly would not put such measures past Malmuth, even when dealing with potential allies."
[22:35] <Seira> "This is exactly the reason they would not do this," Seira responds, frowning. "Invasive spells cannot be used on such important allies. The elves would notice, as would any but the most feeble-minded, and they would take offense. With their original xenophobia, it would be a deal breaker. Malmuth cannot risk that unless they have solid proof we are not who we say we are."
[22:39] * Shamal coughs. "I wouldn't notice," she observes, frowning a bit. "I agree it would be a risk for them, but it's a calculated one and probably worth taking."
[22:42] <Seira> "A surface scan would not do much," Seira tells her. "Even if we don't keep our thoughts marshalled, as long as we don't think 'let us backstab Malmuth' while there, it would not pick anything of import or blow our cover. And, should the worst come to pass, we can use the ring to get away."
[22:52] <Shamal> "I'm not sure I can keep from thinking about betraying Malmuth when I'm... I don't know... Betraying Malmuth?" Shamal retorts dryly. "I'm sorry, Seira, but this plan seems entirely predisposed on luck and the gullibility of Malmuth in regards to giving away their sacred holy relic, coupled with a lack of serious action to retrieve said relic assuming we get as far as stealing it."
[22:54] <Seira> "It's a very simple plan, which is best. It also leaves plenty of room to work with. And, you forget... they invited us. They are already predisposed towards us. Us showing up in the time and place they scheduled with elves would work in our favor."
[23:04] <Shamal> "I still think it's too dangerous and dependent on luck, with dire consequences for both us and our country if we fall to any one of the many potential pitfalls," Shamal insists. "I'm sorry, Seira, but I can't in good conscience agree to this sort of mission. Not as a volunteer."
[23:05] <Seira> "It's too late now, anyway, like I said," Seira says with a shrug.
[23:07] <Shamal> "Yes, I suppose it is," the blonde agrees with a trace of faint regret.