No Spill Blood

[Rezantis]

"That is what he said."

[Dracos]

"Ah, misunderstood.  My apologies."

Dracos

[Brian]

Lord Kevin (and just about everyone else) looks at Phil, and shifts in their seats uncomfortably.  "Anyway," Kevin says, shaking his head.  "That seems to me a sensible plan, if only worrisome in the fact that we've played most of our cards before the final battle has come."

"And a card up a corpse's sleeve can't be played by the one it would most benefit," Donovan warns.

Kevin raises an eyebrow, but nods his head.  "True.  We can devise worse for our foe, I imagine.  Do any others have thoughts on this?"

[Bjorn]

"If it's merely a lack of ideas that worry you, my Lord," Bjorn says a touch grimly, "then I have other ideas still.  And I trust that, between the all of us, we can continue to come up with new strategems."  He looks Kevin in the eye steadily.  "But these are, in the end, simply stalling tactics.  To win in the long run, we must find a way to destroy the Dreadmarch's organization, to make it the makeshift horde it has always previously been.  To do that, we need the information that comes from captured traitors.

"Which is all to say," he says, leaning back in his chair, "that I agree with the Headwarden.  We don't yet hold the cards that will win us this war.  We must play everything we have, without worrying about holding something in reserve, until we do."

[Dracos]

"Ah...A question if you will.  Where can we be of the greatest use to the keep?  Our archers will obviously support those already here.  But there are also our swordsmen, pikesmen, and axemen.  We could just all go in with the charging lines, but if you have other ideas?"

Dracos

[Bjorn]

Bjorn tilts his head for a second in thought, but then shakes his head.  "The plan for tonight, at least, calls for a single front," he says briskly.  "The storm-riders, should they be willing, will take their places on the front lines, and in the reserves."

[Dracos]

Dracos nods.  "Then that is where we will be."

Dracos

[Rezantis]

"I have a question for the loremasters," Rez notes, "odds are that sometime during the siege we'll be facing the archonae I saw as the enemy general.  While the stormriders can take down any jotun, is there anything in particular that the troops should be aware of should we be faced with that archon?"

[Brian]

Radagast looks thoughtful.  "There are actually many things," he admits.  "This ... is something I had not thought through as well as I wished ... but I thought time would come later."  Radagast adjusts his "wizard's hat" -- which fairly well conforms to the stereotype -- and sets his jaw in thought.  "They would be able to push everyone away before they came in range," he mumbles.  "Arrows and stones would fly away.  While the Archonae are as frail as they look, they're quite good at keeping themselves out of harm's way."

He sighs, and steeples his hands in thought while Lammermore, Kevin, and the two vassals look uncomfortable about the situation.

"With the lorekeepers working together," he says slowly, "we could create a power that was greater than even an archon would be able to counter.  This is ... exceedingly dangerous for the lorekeepers who do it.  If could dangerously backfire ... but it may be the only way to destroy an Archon behind an army that size."

[Bjorn]

"How many ways can an Archon split its attention?"  Bjorn asks, leaning forward with narrowed eyes.  "If it were, say, being sealed in the earth by Earthmaster Devin's craft, could it resist that at the same time as it deflected arrows and spears?"

[Brian]

Radagast blinks.  "All force is one force, to them," Radagast says.  "One power is very little from another.  It's not the number of powers, it's the strength.  And the strength of lorekeepers in unison is much more powerful than one would think."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn nods.  "I see," he says slowly, and then shakes his head.  "I doubt that it will be an issue for this night's battle.  Elric seems intent on driving us to despair and surrender, not crushing us immediately with his full strength.  But at least we have one plan, and can develop others later."

[Brian]

Radagast nods.  "I will choose loyal lorekeepers and stand against such a possibility in the future," he says.  "For the moment, while you've given a task for Astryd and Devin, what of the others?"

He pauses, glancing up as Parthipan dashes into the room.

[Ginrai]

Ginrai pauses to gather himself before starting.  "Well, while I was checking out their place I noticed the Jotun; there were about two hundred of them in the back of the Dreadmarch army.  Their camp seemed to be arrayed neatly -- much more than I had expected it to be.  While I was checking on one particular area, Elric noticed me and, before I could really do anything, forced me back into my body."

[Dracos]

"Two hundred jotun?  That'd be a mess.  Did they look like they were planning to charge tonight?  What about their other troops?"

Dracos