Zero Hour

[Brian]

Phil leans out over the rampart, staring intensely at the departing figure.  To his eyes, the man has an aura a dozen times his own size, black, but laced with threads of every color.  Whatever powers he's got, they're pretty hefty.

"No," Lord Kevin says to Bjorn, frowning, and dropping his voice.  "And this may be important to remember ... a General can only be made a General on the field.  Even then, if he leaves the field without winning, he dies."

[Dracos]

Dracos shivers slightly, letting go of the sight.  Turning to Lord Kevin, he nodded slowly.  "Then we best prepare something that someone so arrogant as that would not expect.  Surely, someone with such a heritage has more powers than just being unable to die.  Anyhow...do I mistake...or did  they just give us...as much time as we could want to recover ourselves?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Right," Lord Kevin announces.  "Eske, if you would be so kind -- the library."  Eske nods, and opens up a portal in the air off the edge of the ramparts (towards the keep).  There's a gap of about ten centimetrs between the rampart and the library floor, now.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn steps through the gate, into the library.

[Rezantis]

"Wardmaster," Rez queries Mattias as they step through, "Did you get the chance to examine that axe?"

[Dracos]

Dracos steps through, joining them in the library.

Dracos

[Brian]

Everyone else files through the portal, which Eske closes behind you.  From the ramparts, the library is filled with a sensation of calm, like order has been restored.  "Right," Kevin says again, taking his seat at the map with the table.  "If anyone has something else they'd like to take care of, now would be the time."  Rubbing at his temples, he adds, "We need all the time we can gain to plan, now."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn remains silent for the moment, thinking, and watching the others.

[Brian]

"The power in that axe can only be used one time," Mattias says.  "It's fine quality, but other than that, only an axe."

[Ginrai]

Mind still occupied on finding Ashton, Ginrai heads off in search of Serril so they can finish what he was hoping to do last night.

[Brian]

Parthipan leaves this thread, and goes to In the Night.

[Dracos]

"Hmm...  So, we're down to 11 generals and Elric, who has told us a good deal more about himself then he really ever should have and in fact, more than I think he realizes.  We also have time to heal and recover our strength, though I suspect that this is also a manuver on their end.  There remains that other  army we saw that was marching to meet up with them.  They will meet up with them before the next real fight.  That will include stronger generals than even that monster we saw last night.   So we need a plan to deal with the future generals, and a further plan to get the other general, Elric the undying, off the field.  For the latter...  We know he expects us to be resolute in trying to wear him down.  His show of force was clearly to demoralize us.  To frighten and drive away.  To show us that we are bugs against him.  But you know, not paying attention to the bugs will get one killed eventually.  We need to build a single method to getting him off the field.  Not something he would see or be aware of, because as soon as he's aware of it, he likely will start taking us seriously.  We can't trust gates as with the seal and his own cards up his sleeve, it'll likely fail and give away that we are trying to eject him from the field.  So we need a device that can be slipped under the earth with enough launching power to get him off the field.  One that we can't use before hand.  We have someone who can change the earth?  Could they slide a device under the battlefield?  Perhaps an underground catapault?  All it'd have to do is launch one human off the field... and if he is off the field, he dies.  Thoughts?"  Dracos paused his meandering and rambling diatribe.

Dracos

[Bjorn]

"And if he flies?"  Bjorn says, quietly.  "Or catches himself with whatever he was using to throw Sir Shuker and myself around?  Or if he slits his own throat before he leaves the battlefield?"

He shakes his head.  "With all due respect, Lord Bloom, it is too early to start developing traps for that... spawn.  We know little, and hopefully can learn more -- and, more importantly, we must first survive to reach the last night of siege."  He frowns.  "The fact that he has chosen not to command the next night's siege is telling.  Either he truly wishes for us to submit, or he has a weakness that he fears may come about."

He sighs.  "His mockery aside, my Lords, we have done quite well so far.  Our injuries are comparatively few.  If we continue in this vein, I think, we will do well.  Especially if we can continue to develop effective strategies.  Master Radagast, what is the status on the trebuchets?"

[Brian]

"They're ready -- one of my lorekeepers yesterday developed jars of brittle clay, to be filled with flaming pitch.  That should be a great help," Radagast replies.

Eske and Mattias look a bit downcast.  "Unfortunately, the seal hinders our own contributions directly in the war ... but if we should need something -- or someone -- from outside of the Great Seal, then I can retrieve them," Eske says.

"And Lorekeeper Devin of the Path of Earth helped me reinforce the wall's ancient wards," Mattias adds.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn contemplates for a second.  "Gatemaster," he says, "could you open gates that lay flat along the ground?"