Focus

[Ginrai]

Ginrai walks towards Radagast to see what he's doing, not wanting to disturb him in case it's something important.

[Brian]

<Brian> Okay.  You're in Radagast's study, still littered with dozens of curious and presumably magic items.  As far as you can tell, he's just smoking, and eyeing the crystal in front of him.  He might be meditating ... but you think if it were important, he'd probably lock his door.
Ginrai coughs politely, hoping to get his attention
<Brian> Radagast blinks, and then looks up.  "Mmm," he hums, tapping his pipe into an ashtray.  "Can't sleep?"
<Ginrai> "Not yet.  There were a few things I wanted to talk with you about."
<Brian> "Something's on your mind?" he asks.
<Ginrai> "Before coming to the tower I had performed the 'seeing the wind' spell to check on the Dreadmarch.  During that I noticed there were large poles in the ground every twenty or so meters.  Any reason for those?"
<Brian> "Those are traps for the Dreadmarch," he says, nodding.  "Magical...."  He trails off, snorting.  "Magic.  Hah.  I can barely manage any of this world's magic.  It's explosives, with trip-wires set into the ground.  Any charge will set them off, scattering a large number of the Dreadmarch forces before the battle begins."
<Ginrai> "I take it no one from this world realizes that?"
<Ginrai> "Anyway, do you think that would be enough to at least take out tonight's general?"
<Brian> "What small magical affinity I possess seems worlds beyond their ability," he says, shaking his head.  "I can speak with birds and insects.  None of them can do that, and they realize I also have some faculty with building things ... siege weaponry, mostly.  Mm.  A gift from my creator."
<Brian> He frowns at that.  "I doubt the general will lead his charge.  But I expect it will thin their ranks, and greatly damage their morale."
<Ginrai> "Do you remember anything about your creator?"
<Brian> "Quite a bit," he says, nodding.  "We conversed at length after he created me."
<Ginrai> "Oh?  Which world was he from and is he still around?"
<Brian> "World," he muses.  "That's a tricky question.  He called his home 'Earth', but he told me this world was 'Earth', too.  He said that it just meant 'Home', the world he was from ... so I suppose that this world is, at least a part of the world he came from."
<Ginrai> "Actually, I meant whether or not he was from the world me and my friends were from."
<Brian> Radagast kind of shrugs at that, and sets the pipe on a table.  "I imagine he was," Radagast said slowly.  "What he told me, was that there is a central world, and it's surrounded by the dreams of others ... but there are worlds beyond that.  Those worlds just happen to be out of reach."
<Ginrai> "Ah.  What was his name and is he still around?"
<Brian> "His name was Alan, which he told me meant 'power'.  He called himself a friend of wolves."  Radagast frowned.  "I think ... he vanished about a year after I agreed to help him.  He left this world entirely.  I'm afraid I haven't seen him since."  He pauses.  "Well, he did leave me with something...."
<Brian> Radagast rises from his chair, and rumages through a drawer for a moment, coming up with what looks like it would be a small statuette, but was broken.  All he has is the bottom half, which looks like robes, feet, and the bottom of a staff, all connected to a roughly circular base.
<Ginrai> "What is that?"
<Brian> "He said he wanted to leave a message behind," Radagast explains, studying the remnants.  "According to him, these are fragments of dreams, which can become reality.  There are ... I believe ... three pieces to it.  If all of them are found and assembled, it leads the way to something."  Radagast frowned.  "I think he said it was his home ... but not the home he came from."
<Brian> He shakes his head.  "It doesn't make much sense.  I imagine it's a key, but to what ... I can only imagine."
<Brian> He offers the statue to you.  "Here," he says.  "If you can find this, and the others, then perhaps you can find him, and see what he's up to."
Ginrai accepts the statue. "Thank you."
<Brian> It puffs into nothingness as soon as you touch it.  "I hope that means it went to your world ahead of you," Radagast murmurs, slightly unsettled.  "At any rate, I've some other news for you."
<Ginrai> "What is it?"
<Brian> "I've identified one of the other people from your world," he says.  "The priestess of Liena."
<Ginrai> "Was she the person who had to take Mirallia's place in the ceremony?
<Brian> "Yes."
<Ginrai> "Crap.  Does anyone else know?"
<Brian> "No.  Only you and your companions would benefit from this knowledge."  He frowns.  "The odd thing is ... she seems, in my estimation, quite sincere about defending Stormwall Keep."
<Ginrai> "Best not to raise anyone's suspicions early on.  Who were her companions on her way here?
<Brian> "I'm not certain," Radagast says slowly.  "The captain of the guard under Lammermore may be another ... I'll have to look at him more closely.  The rest, I don't know where they are, yet."
<Brian> "Not cheerful news, I suppose," Radagast sighs.  "Regardless.  Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so we should get our rest."
<Ginrai> "True.  A few more things before I leave, though.  One, I believe tomorrow's general will be some large, troll-like creature.  At least that's what I assume from what I saw."
<Brian> "An ogre?" Radagast asks.  "
<Ginrai> "I believe so."
<Brian> "Hmm.  Entirely possible.  They may have suspicions ... with their greater numbers, they shouldn't need to worry about subtlety, or complex tactics ... but they appear to be much smarter this time around.  I'm quite concerned about that human that you said was working with them."
<Ginrai> "He was the one who was talking to the Ogre."
<Brian> Radagast shakes his head.  "Most likely, he's in charge, then.  He's assigning a general for the first day, which means he's settling in for a long siege.  Until the Jotun arrive, we should be safe ... but I don't know what they're planning.  I don't like it, though."
<Ginrai> "Jotun?"
<Brian> "Ice giants," Radagast elaborates.  "Huge, monstrous beings that fling boulders across the field, and try to take down the walls.  They're resilient, as well.  It takes a number of storm-riders, and some coordination to bring one down.  Their skin is tough enough that arrows do little against them.
<Brian> "They fear fire, though, so we have our ways of fighting them."
<Ginrai> Ginrai sighs.  "Hopefully they won't appear in the upcoming days."
<Brian> "We will hope," Radagast agrees.  "Now, to sleep.  We must hoard what rest we can."
<Ginrai> "One more question.  Were you able to find out anything more about my other-self's past?"
<Ginrai> "Or anyone I might've been associated with?"
<Brian> "Unfortunately, no," he says, shaking his head.  "After the siege, you might ask Eske to take you to the collegate, so we could look for your records, however."
Ginrai nods.
<Ginrai> "I guess I'll take a small rest and prepare for tomorrow.  Good night."

[Brian]

After returning to your room, you climb into the bed and try and get some sleep....

...you're woken later -- not sure how much later -- by knocking at your door.

[Ginrai]

Slowly getting up, Ginrai calls out, "Who is it?"

[Brian]

It's Astryd, if you remember her name correctly.  You hear her, but she doesn't open the door.  "It's time to prepare," she calls through the thick wooden paneling.  "Loremaster Radagast has asked us to get ready."

The room is dark, and when you look out the window, you can see that the moon has nearly set.

[Ginrai]

Realizing that it's almost time for the first night, Ginrai quickly gets ready and heads out.

[Brian]

You also nearly knock Astryd over, since she was standing outside your door waiting for you to say something.  Looking at you somewhat crossly, she shakes her head and continues up the stairs to the next Lorekeeper that's still asleep.

[Ginrai]

"Sorry about that, Astryd."  Before she can leave, he asks, "Where are we meeting with him?"

[Brian]

"He's in the courtyard with Lord Kevin," she says, turning back to look at you.  "You can either follow me, or just go to one of the towers if you've already recieved your orders."

She frowns, looking at your face (you think).  "You wear a pendant?"

[Ginrai]

"Yes.  Anything about that that's strange to you?

"Anyway, since I haven't yet received my orders I'll follow you."

[Brian]

"Just curious," he says, shaking her head.  "This way, then."

She leads you up the stairs to the next room, and knocks on the door, repeating her announcement.  Whoever's inside makes some annoyed sounds at being woken up, and eventually answers the door, tromping down the stairs to attend some other errand.

This repeats a few times, until she's reached the last door, whereupon she turns around, and marches down the stairs, down more stairs, across a long hallway, and up a steep stairwell.  Eventually, you find yourself atop one of the other towers, at the corners of the keep, and looking down across the dreadmarch.

There's a lot of them, and while the moon hasn't set (yet) they're assembling troops into formation just before the battlefield, prepared to march.

There's another three lorekeepers on this tower, two of them working together to draw a large symbol on the flagstone in red chalk, the third carefully winding silver wire around a length of what looks like bone.  Radagast is visible in the courtyard, standing next to Bjorn and a few of the other people who are high up in the chain of command.

[Ginrai]

Ginrai checks if he can see the Ogre from the previous night among the Dreadmarch troops.

"Is there any specific spell you want me to prepare?"

[Brian]

Astryd looks at you oddly, and then says, "Can you summon dancing lights?  The rede of twilight?  Cloak of shadows?"  She doesn't wait for your answer.  "An it please you, Lorekeeper, we study different schools, and I'm yet no master.  You should keep your own council, or better for your competence, you should be home where it's safe, not out here."

She turns away from you, and glares resolutely at the Dreadmarch.

The lorekeeper who's winding wire around bone just shakes his head, and the other two are still absorbed in making their symbol in red chalk.

[Ginrai]

Ginrai chooses not to reply to her comment.

"I'm going to the tower closest to the battlefield.  Good luck to all of you."

[Brian]

On your way down the stairs, you pass Radagast, but he seems to be in such a hurry he doesn't notice you.