World Revolution

[Brian]

"Not yet," Liandral says, frowning.  "I need time before I can bring my tools into this dream from the waking world."

[Dracos]

"Bring tools in?" Dracos raises an eyebrow curiously.

Dracos

[Rezantis]

Rez is listening quietly to the conversation, not saying anything - because while he's  listening, he's got another interesting thought on his mind.

Reluctantly releasing his hold on his other-self's skills, the ones that he's been depending on and honing ever since they left the keep, Rez tries to reach back to his real-world self in the same way he could back in the dream m when he first got the gauntlet - trying to perceive something if he can, but also trying to see if he can feel - and take hold - of the gauntlet.

[Brian]

"Yeah.  Things that were on my other body when I came here," he says, nodding.

In the meantime, Nathan finds out that with some effort, he is aware of the glove on his other-self ... but not his other-self.  And, unfortunately, he can't pull the gauntlet to himself, either.  It's like his etherial 'hands' keep slipping, or he's just not strong enough to yank it through.

[Dracos]

"Hmm.. interesting.  So the longer we are here, the more options open up for us.  That's good to know.  Hum.  It is certain that Seventh Cabal is out of here, right?"

Dracos

[Brian]

Liandral looks very thoughtful for a long minute, then says, "Well, we know that two people who weren't part of the Contest came in here.  We never actually saw them leave, though, so ... they may still be here.  But sometimes the exit point for the dream is somewhere else from the entry point.  The Seventh Cabal operatives have been seen outside after entering this dream, though."

[Dracos]

"Hmm...that's interesting to know.  So there's the five of us.  The five of you.  And potentially two others.  Until we know differently, we may as well assume that they are likely among the enemy to deal with.  Hmm.  Any ideas you have outside of what's been voiced for ways to weaken the dreadmarch while we're still out here?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Not really," he says.  "You seemed pretty on the ball.  I don't know how advantageous it is to us to be where we are, now.  We've done a good deal of damage to the Dreadmarch, but we're also kind of trapped.  Not sure what we can do about that, though."

[Rezantis]

Rez grows irritably under his breath and resolves to try again later.

"Well, we need to break the seal holding Eske, as far as I can see, and unless you have any cool tricks the only way I can see to do that is the obvious . . ."

[Dracos]

"It's not really advantageous anymore at all.  Without the benefit of terrain, the main army not moving to give us any openings, and their largest extended force too big to attack, there's not many openings.  We could set up a slaughterhouse along the path of the other force coming, but they'd know we were there and it's hard to do that with that large an army.  Hmm?  The obvious, Nathan?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Bull-rushing an army of two or three million just to get a single man will hurt, though," Liandral says, shaking his head.  "Breaking the ward ... magic isn't my specialty.  But ... if we could sneak some men in -- no, wait.  The same kind of mage would detect the invisibility, wouldn't he?"  Liandral looks pensive.

[Rezantis]

"Almost certainly.  The obvious tactic pretty much is a bullrush . . . but if Mattias can locate the loremaster with the charm, Eske might be able to put a gate next to him.  It's risky and bound to be bloody, but we really do need Eske free to move or we're not going to get anything else accomplished, as I see it."

[Dracos]

"Hmm...there has to be a better way...hmm...perhaps a swift communication of coordinates to the other loremasters at the keep?  Radagast was a master of combat, right?  Maithias said he couldn't hear what 'we' said back.  We may have a way to communicate the target without them knowing we're targeting them.  Enough magic flung that way should do the trick as well and would be safer starter."

Dracos

[Rezantis]

"Just because Mattias can't hear it doesn't mean that they can't, and you know their Loremaster won't be stupid enough to go by himself. The really unpleasant thing is that once the archon and friends catch up to the main body, he'll likely be hanging around them, making it an even more bloody and unlikely-to-succeed idea."

[Dracos]

"Yes, but that should be several days march, Nathan.  And who said anything about him going somewhere?  If Eske can gate gigantic distances, aren't the odds good that someone has a long range attack that can hit in the middle of their army?  Normally wasted energy with the generals unknown, but if we could target their leaders like that?"

Dracos