Alec nods at Nathan wordlessly, and looks between the two, curious about their conversation.
"Yes, I-wait, you think someone actually did that?"
"It's a distinct possiblity. If I was running the other side, I'd make arrangements for it to happen. Suddenly finding the 'gods' abandoning us in the middle of the siege would be a brutal blow to morale on top of suddenly catching us unexpecting of the manuever. I think we should get the squad off to Lienne now. Not waiting for you to come back, but right away."
Dracos
Nathan's eyes widen. "NO! This stops being dangerous and starts being suicide if they know we're coming, and what you're proposing will make them guard it better! It can damn well wait, or you're going to blow this whole thing sky high!"
"I'm proposing that you go right now, Nathan, and the Lienne group goes as soon as they can, preferrably at the same time." Dracos shakes his head. "I understand what you are saying. But realize if they DO have spies among the Lienne temple and they are taking/hindering the crystal there, where will they likely take it if they can communicate quickly at all? Either way, you should get moving and this possibility needs to be voiced to the rest of the keep leadership. Preferrably... I think I'm going to hunt down Radagast quickly. You go get whoever you want for your spy and get the rest ready. I think I should get more information quickly so we don't delay you getting moving."
Dracos
"I'll go and get organized. But I'm going to warn you of one thing, Drac. If you move to bring the Liene crystal here, they may well clue in to the fact that we'll be trying to take the one they hold, too. And they realise that, they'll start looking at us suspiciously. If you break our cover before we're back, we all die. You'd better understand that."
Nathan pauses to let this sink in.
"Anyway, I'd better get moving. I need to talk to some people before I get moving . . . hey, Alec, can you come with me for a few minutes?"
If not stopped, Nathan will head to the library.
Dracos shook his head. "I understand Nathan. Good luck."
Dracos turned himself to head off to find Radagast, assuming he is in his tower.
Dracos
Phil now moves to Cloud Age Symphony (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=40453#40453).
Nathan quickly finds his way to the library, which appears to be empty except for the librarian, who nods as Nathan enters.
Nathan nods to the librarian, and wanders over to ask him a question.
"Sorry to bother you, but do you have any books about the archonae, or the archonae city?"
The librarian looks thoughtful at this question, and then points to the farthest corner of the library. "I believe they'd be in that corner," he offers. "If we've got any. Really, I'd suggest asking the Lorekeepers. They tend to spend a lot of time with Archonae."
"I think I will; I'm just curious to skim something qiuckly so I have a better idea what questions to ask. Thanks."
Nathan wanders over to the aforementioned area and tries looking for an appropriate book - which he will take and start skimming, if he finds.
Nathan grabs a hefty looking book and flips through it. OOOH! Pictures! A city with massive walls, all aflame.
Neat!
"Hey," a familiar voice whispers. "Nathan -- it's me, Durant." No one can be seen in this room except for Nathan and the librarian, who is absorbed in a large tome of his own.
Nathan, after not seeing anyone, goes back to his book and doesn't look up.
"Paul? What the hell happened, I was worried you were dead," he hisses back, outwardly still bent over his book.
"Eh ... someone came in, killed the guards, gave me a magic knife, and let me out. Couldn't really stick around with a magic knife and all those corpses around these execution-happy people, you know?
"Anyway. Now that I've got invisibility and a magic knife, I'm going to spend all my time trying to find more assasins. And I'll tell you. I think Bjorn would just toss me back in the prisons, so, eh, I'll let you tell him," Durant replies humorlessly.
"Jesus. Any idea who, or why? And . . . well, he's not that bad, he just a little too focused and a little too much of a hardass. Either that or he sat firmly on a stick."
Nathan sighs.
"Dammit, this is all going to hell. Just be damn careful if you're going to do that . . ."
"I know exactly who," he answers, his invisible voice sounding just a bit peevish. "Anyway. The point is that I'm likely to be around and doing stuff ... but if there's anything you need taken care of, I'm your man. And the sooner we get home, the better, so, hey."
"Well, implicit in that question was 'do you want to tell me'; and will do. I'm going to be gone for the next day or so, though, they're sending me off to do some stuff. How do I get in touch with you?"
"Eh ... if you're leaving, you think you can get me out of here? It'd be good to lay low," Durant says slowly.
"You know . . . I might well be able to. It's a dangerous stune we're pulling, but if you're invisible . . . I'll speak to Radagast, but first I want to know who busted you out."
Nathan hums.
"And, of course, ease my mind by telling me where you got stuck after the plane incident."
"Well, it was Lindsey, if you must know, who conveniently framed me for it so I couldn't really turn myself in -- not that I was really eager to spend the rest of my time in a cell." Durant pauses. "Did you know they still give you normal food in prison? I thought for sure it'd be foul gruel, or an empty bowl of steam."
Nathan hears a slight creaking, as though someone were to lean back against one of the wooden bookshelves. "Ah, yes. The plane landing. Whereupon we had the dubious pleasure of running into Drac's evil ... or should I say more evil, twin. But they had some good sausages. Ask Parth about it some time."
"Bitch. Not much we can do, though," Rez acknowledges, "I'll . . . actually, no I won't. Here's the trick . . . we've discovered that the younger Gods are trapped in some crystals, and obviously we want their help . . . so some lorekeepers and I are going to the Archonae city to try and retrieve the one they have there. If you want to come along, I'd be glad for the help - just tag along with me, for now, I'll be leaving fairly soon through one of Eske's gates."
"Yeah ... well ... I guess of all the people who SHOULD be able to know I'm released Radagast might be one of them," Durant says, somewhat dubiously. "I'm too short to claim to be a Storm-rider, so ... I might just be invisible and follow you. But, damn. How long are we going to be walking just to get to the Archonae city, anyway?"
Phil walks into the library, and Durant swears. "I'm not saying anything," he whispers to Nathan quietly. "But I'll stick around with you until we can talk again."
Dracos blinked. "Still here, Nathan? Radagast has some birds he's going to have check on Lienne."
Dracos
"I'm about done," Nathan notes, closing his book, "just indulging my curiousity. I think I'll grab Eric; or see if he can suggest someone for me to take . . ."
Dracos nods. "Good luck. And be careful. I'm going to see about getting whatever we need on our end done with here so that as soon as you come back we can finish it and get us all home."
Dracos
"I don't think it's going to be that simple, although it'd be nice . . . anyway, got anything much to add? I need to go bug Ekim, then I'll speak to Eric, I think."
"No. See ya when you get back, a dozen dead archon on your tally and a crystal in your hand."
Dracos started looking around the library, surveying for any books on the knowledge base of wards and the like. His intent is to spend a couple hours here and then go check out Mattias.
Dracos
Despite remaining in the library, Phil is now moved to Shrouded Mystery (http://www.pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=40549#40549).
Nathan leaves the library, and almost immediately catches Durant's relieved sigh ... but not much else. Alec is nowhere to be seen.
"He worries you?" Nathan says quietly he (and he assumes they) as they walk towards Ekim's forge.
"Yeah, a bit," Durant grumbles. "Along with robo-Bjorn, Phil seems to accept killing people a bit too casually for my tastes."
"Mm, I know what you mean . . . but then, I know it is bugging Bjorn some. That's half of why he is acting like this, he ain't reacting well to it. Wheeee. At least nobody's quite Lindsey-level-callous yet."
"Oh, she came that way," Durant replies flippantly, falling silent as Nathan wends his way through the kitchen and out into the rear courtyard, where Ekim's forge sits.
Nathan walks up to Ekim's forge and looks around for the guards-expected-to-stop-him.
The guards are standing around the area and look at Nathan knowingly, making no move towards him or to take his sword. Ekim is within his forge, working away on arrowheads, and glances up when Nathan enters, but does not stop working.
Nathan bows respectfully to Ekim.
"Friend Ekim, I wanted to thank you for the help you gave us when we had to fight Estin. I'm . . . not sure how that would have gone without your assistance."
"I'm sure you would have prevailed," he says, setting his tools to one side of the forge (his shield), and turning his attention to Nathan. "Your praise is kind ... but I would be a poor Younger Brother were I to ignore the troubles a corrupted Older Brother had caused. Too long did I hide in my forge and ignore what was done." He sighs, a deep, breathy exhalation with the slightest traces of smoke on his breath. "But ... what is done ... is done."
Nathan blinks in surprise. "Estin was . . . your brother?"
"Not mine," he snorts. "No. But one of ours none-the-less."
Nathan nods slowly.
"Well, it would have been somewhat remiss of me not to thank you before I got busy again - but I thought that yesterday, perhaps, you'd prefer to be left alone. And . . . um . . . you know . . . I'm sure there was something else I was going to ask you, but I've completely forgotten it. Figures. Can't have been that important, I suppose."
Nathan scratches his head, looking more than slightly embarassed.
"I'd probably better get moving, and leave you to your labours." He bows respectfully, "Good luck with your work, Friend Ekim."
Ekim looks vaguely bemused, and nods. "Very well," he says. "Take care of yourself, Friend Nathan."
"You too."
Nathan bows respectfully, and walks off.
Looking for somewhere he might be able to have a vaguely private conversation with Paul. Possibly the library again.
As Nathan heads towards the library, Paul adds (during a stretch where there are no servants or guards around), "You know. For what it's worth, you might want to have a word with Bjorn."
Before a reply can be given, however, Phil comes into sight, spotting Nathan and then beelining towards him.
"Hey Nathan." Dracos glanced briefly around to make sure there wasn't too many people around or at least, no one he noticed paying close attention to them. "Found something interesting in the library I figured I'd mention before you got off if I could. Your family sword is one of two. There was a second one made at the same time. There's also a book on your great ancestor that you should probably glance through when you get a chance. Not that important there though."
Dracos
Nathan blinks.
"OK. So . . . anything I need to know about this sword, or . . . ?"
"Well, odds are pretty good that if you do end up having to fight your way out, worst case scenario and all, that the sword might be used to counter your own." Dracos rubbed his head a bit sheepishly. "There wasn't that much more. Just figured it'd be better if you were prepared for it in worst case than if not."
Dracos
Nathan blinks.
"Counter? How so? As in, I probably wouldn't be able to break it, or it could potentially do that to mine?"
"I'd bet the latter, if only because personally if I was making two swords and one had the ability to cleave through magical weapons and armor without trouble, I'd make sure that the other was capable of stopping it cold if it got into the wrong hands. Though, there wasn't enough information in what I found to tell since by human records, they didn't really care since the Archanoe kept it."
Dracos
Nathan shrugs.
"Hm. I'll keep that in mind, then. Anything key about my ancestor that you found out?"
"He killed I think it was three generals by himself. Apparently this whole 'teamwork' deal to fight generals is something new. They apparently were just sending out one ceremonial wolf each time to fight to the death against the general."
Dracos
Nathan looks at Dracos oddly.
"That doesn't mesh with much of anything we know, either from Lord Kevin or the Dreadmarch itself. Are you sure? Everyone else has said it's always been a conflict involving armies."
"Heading to the library? I'll show you the book. It would mesh actually with the whole hero stuff. They have the army fight while one hero goes out to deal with the general."
Dracos
Rez hums.
"Can I meet you there in about ten or fifteen minutes? There was something I wanted to check first, but I need to talk to both you and Bjorn before I go."
"Yeah. I can." Dracos waited to see if Rez had anything else to say before heading back there.
Dracos
Nathan nods.
"I'll meet you up there in about ten or fifteen, then."
Dracos nodded, heading back to the library.
Dracos
Nathan, at this point, stairs looking for stairs up to the rooftop; or alternately just somewhere else he might be able to have a short conversation with Paul . . .
Phil returns to Shrouded Mystery (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=41477#41477).
It doesn't take Nathan too long to find a secluded spot on a tower-top -- the keep has several, after all.
Once he's there, Durant sighs audibly, though he remains invisibile. "This is going to be annoying," he deduces.
Nathan rolls his eyes.
"Heh. Well . . . you sort of didn't want me to, which is why I didn't tell him about you, but we'd better talk to both him and Bjorn about you before we go. They're going to need to know where you are, and if nothing else Bjorn's got his nose in what efforts they're making to find you."
"Lovely," Durant says dryly. "If it's all the same, I'd just as soon skip town and lay low until this is over. Except that unlike some people, I won't abandon my friends. What do you suggest we do from here?"
Rez chews his lip thougtfully for a moment. "Well, if it's fine with you, I could probably use the help on my run south. We'd better let Drac and Bjorn know what's going on . . . and hm. We should talk to Radagast, since he was going to cloak me and another stormrider in an illusion to disguise us as lorekeepers . . . that could just as easily be you and nobody should be the wiser."
"Well, that was the plan," Durant's seemingly disembodied voice replies. "I sure as hell hope that Archonae can't see through invisibility."
"No, not you follow us through - you -be- the second stormrider. Radagast seems pretty confident they can't see through his illusion . . . and if they can, well . . . we run like our lives depend on it, 'cause they will. We'll go grab Phil, I guess, and head over to see Radagast."
"I'm too short to be a storm-rider," Durant complains. "But, anyway, you're the boss."
"And I'm too big to be a lorekeeper," Rez snickers, "So we're even. Assuming Radagast is willing to go along with this."
Nathan turns around and starts heading back down to the library - then catches himself.
"Something you might find intensely useful - Phil found out last night that the same way as we can pull our tricks from home - like my gauntlet - we can pull our whole bodies. If you can manage that trick, it'll at least help you not get recognized."
There's a thoughtful silence, and then Durant suddenly reappears in front of you -- except, it's not bardly-Durant, it's the real-world Durant.
He seems a bit surprised. He's still wearing this world's Durant's clothes, and in addition to that he's carrying a knife. His clothes stick out a bit, since he's wearing that cape (which people evidently use to recognize him as a bard) but other than that, he would probably just blend in.
He shivers a bit, and looks at you. "Seems to work okay, I guess," he says, after looking himself over. "But man. I get cold way easier now for some reason."
With that, he vanishes from sight again. "Something to think about, though. Thanks, Nate."
"No problem. Sorry I forgot to mention it earlier. Anyway, let's get moving."
Nathan starts heading towards the library!
Durant may or may not be following -- it's hard to say.
Nathan now moves to Shrouded Mystery (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=41566#41566).