Secret Game

[Ginrai]

"I believe so.  And we can't really know unless I try."

[Dracos]

Dracos coughs.  "Do it."

Dracos

[Ginrai]

"You know, I would except for one thing... you guys haven't yet told me what to look for," Ginrai replies dryly.

[Rezantis]

Rez snickers.

"We need you to take a look at the dreadmarch army, I think it's to the northwest of here.  It won't be a very long way distant, either.  We need to know roughly how many there are, and -where- they are."

Rez pulls out his map and spreads it on the table, indicating to Ginrai the rough area the army was in when they last saw it.

[Ginrai]

After looking at the area that Rez is referring to on the map, Ginrai takes a deep breath and replies, "Okay, time to see if this works...."

Ginrai first makes an astrology check.

[Brian]

Code Select Expand

<Ginrai> roll 3d6 to make this easier for Windmaster Ginrai
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Ginrai ... : 3d6 to make this easier for Windmaster Ginrai --> {16}

The celestial alignment (assuming you can figure it correctly, as the sun has not yet set) is not so helpful towards figuring this out.  You'll need to take extra time to prepare the spell, assuming you remembered it correctly.

However, after thirty minutes, you ready yourself, everyone's quiet to let you do what you want, and you attempt the spell.

You feel like you've just jumped out of your body, and are gliding along the wind.

Your vision slides across the plains, riding up slopes, and gliding down the drops in height.  It reminds you, in a very unreal sense, of the dream that Shade had, which Ezmereth gave to the rest of you, a world and who knows how long ago.

The sun grows lower, the longer you glide, until it's only got a fragment clearing the horizon, and before you, is an army.  A vast army, stretching west as far as you can see, of darkness.  The nearer shapes you can see are orcs, but the further just blend into an ocean of black.  Directly before you are two figures, snatches of conversation somehow reaching you.

The first is dressed much like Phil, only his armor is golden and silver, and he wears an odd necklace about his throat.  It looks like it's open at the front, and has a hinged clasp in the back.  The tips look like snarling wolf heads.  His hair is blond, and he has a fair countenance.

The other is wearing gray steel armor, unpolished, but not rusted, and a drab, dirty snow-colored cloak.  His hair is black, with flour thrown into it to turn it gray -- why, you can't really tell.  In all honesty, his facial features are unremarkable.

"...army must pass without seeing yours," the fair-haired man says, frowning.

"I will cloak them, then, and leave this army unseen to--"  He breaks off, and looks around, narrowing his eyes.  "The wind has changed."

You draw yourself back to your body, back in Radagast's tower after this; your strength is waning, and it's best not to subject yourself to more danger than you need to.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn raps, politely, on the door.

[Brian]

Just about the same time that Parthipan drops out of his trance (despite Radagast saying not to disturb him, it didn't look like anything happened), Bjorn is shown into the room quietly by a servant.

[Ginrai]

Ginrai pauses to process in what he has just seen and to also recover from the amount of endurance he had to use to cast the 'seeing on the wind' spell.

After five minutes or so have passed, he begins his account on what he saw.  "Well, that was interesting....

"I was able to catch sight of the Dreadmarch army, though unfortunately I couldn't tell where they were.  I can tell you right now that it's a vast army, going as far as my eye could see.

"It's the other thing I saw that surprised me -- and what almost got me in trouble.  I saw someone who looked a lot like Phil, except he had armor that was golden and silver along with a strange necklace around his throat which had snarling wolf heads on the tips.  I'm assuming he's the current leader of the Storm-riders.

"He was talking with someone wearing gray steel armor and some greyish cloak.  I'm guessing he's one of the Dreadmarch generals.

"I only heard from mid-conversation on, but it sounds like the Storm-riders leader was talking about his army having to pass without being seen by the Dreadmarch and presumably vice-versa, unless *all* of the Storm-riders have agreed to this act of treason.

"The general started to talk about cloaking 'them', though which army I'm not sure of because it was at that point he noticed that something wasn't right with the wind and would have likely realized that I was around soon thereafter.  And so I immediately left.

"So, guys, any thoughts?"

[Bjorn]

"Why did you think that one of them was a general of the Dreadmarch?" Bjorn asks.  "Can you describe what he looks like?  I understood that the generals weren't chosen before the night that they took command."

[Rezantis]

"Except for the first general," Rez comments, "I'm sure he's selected beforehand."

[Ginrai]

"Well, the conversation was taking place near where the Dreadmarch were and the Storm-rider leader was talking about his army passing without seeing the other guy's army."

[Brian]

"That is correct from what we know," Radagast says, nodding.  "Humans occasionally side with the elder gods ... they do promise rich rewards, and truly will follow through ... if their servants succeed.  Thankfully, this has not happened, of course.  Not since before the Dreadmarch was established."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn grunts, but does not immediately say anything else.  Instead, he remains silent, and listens.

[Rezantis]

Rez sighs.

"This does fit . . . wonderful. Back to that in a second - how many troops, Ginrai, and do you know roughly where?"