Successful Mission

[Brian]

The meeting hall is Lord Kevin's office, which looks largely the same.  It's huge, though they've brought in a LOT of chairs.  Tables have been lined up against the desk, to give the area a giant U-shaped table, with Kevin's desk as the base of the 'U'.  There's enough space in the center for a pair of servants to set food in front of all of the advisors there, though a good number of the chairs are empty.

Radagast and Lammermore are in their normal places, on either side of Lord Kevin.  The other priestess, and two of her vassals, are already sitting on the same side of the table as Radagast.  Sitting immediately next to him are Astryd (a female Lorekeeper who looks uncomfortable in her robes) and Devin, who seems more alert now than he was in the courtyard.  There's one more free space between Devin and the other priestess.  Servants direct you to sit between Lammermore and Mirallia, with Breke to your left, between you and Mirallia.

The next seat down on this side of the table is occupied by Dorian, and next to him, with a bench taking up the same space as two normal seats, is a spot reserved for Ekim.  Beyond Ekim's seat are two of the guardsmen that Lammermore had hand-picked earlier.  The next seats contains a pair of vassals that look somewhat nervous, not being allowed to sit next to their priestess, and instead sitting next to Ekim.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn leads Breke to his seat, placing him beside Lammermore, before taking his own seat beside Mirallia.  Nodding to the priestess, he turns forward in his seat to study the faces of the others.

[Ginrai]

Quietly entering the room, Ginrai looks around to see if there are any empty chairs.

[Brian]

The vassals all look a bit nervous about Ekim, but otherwise fairly amiable.  Their faces are all pretty similar, actually.  The one closest to the priestess is somewhat balding, and has a bit of gray in his black beard.  The others all have dark brown hair, and neutral faces.  At a glance, they've also shunned their ceremonial armor in favor of the actual defensible stuff.  Lammermore and Kevin have both changed out of their armor and into more comfortable looking clothes; Kevin looking more like a lord than in his armor.  Lammermore just looks relaxed in a comfortable tunic and trousers.

Ekim has lain his sheild and hammer behind him on the ground, but is otherwise wearing what looks like leather overalls, and beneath that, a course blue shirt of some kind of cloth (Linen? Wool?  It's hard to say).  Dorian is dressed in his very shiny looking elf-wear, apparently pleased not to be waring the cloak anymore, though he's kept his bow with him (no arrows).

Radagast is wearing a brown robe, and so are Devin and Astryd.  Since you've not yet met them, Radagast introduces you (Devin studies the Path of Earth, and Astryd studies the Path of Light).  Lammermore picks up and introduces the others: the priestess is named Lindsey, and has forsaken her last name.  Her vassals are named Charles (the balding man) Stephen (the other vassal at her side), Patrick (next to Ekim) and Edgar (further down from Ekim).  Ekim is introduces as Lord Ekim Boneforge, and right after that round of introductions, Parthipan enters the room, neccessitating a whole new round of introductions.

[Ginrai]

After the round of introductions, Ginrai again looks for an empty chair and, after finding one, waits to see what the meeting's about.

[Brian]

"We all seem to be gathered," Kevin decides, surveying the room.  "What we're here to discuss is the fact that the Dreadmarch is curiously well prepared.  Generals have always been better equipped, that's nothing new.  But the quality of the equipment is cause for concern.  They outnumber us and have better equipment?"

"Aye," Ekim says, lifting a heavy, black-bladed axe from his side, and placing it on the table.  It's got to weigh an awful lot; the table groans under its weight.  "This is no mere axe, either.  It's of dwarven make, and I'll wager there's matching armor to go with it."

This leaves Kevin and Lammermore looking stunned, and Radagast and Devin completely flabergasted.  The others merely look confused, except for Dorian, who looks incredulous.  "But, Lord Boneforge, your kind would never do such a thing.  How could that be?"

"I don't know," Ekim says in his rumbling voice.  "But it was done."

"More to the point," Lammermore says, shaking his head.  "What does this mean for us?"

"A dwarf is a master craftsman," Ekim opines.  "We will make the best quality of equipment we can.  We pride ourselves in things that are well made, will not easily break, and wish to serve their bearers to their destruction, or the bearer's death.  In all honesty, a dwarf is a poor outfitter for an army.  I doubt to see the horde equipped with dwarven gear."

"Right," Patrick mumbles, nodding.  "It's the first day; the ... the traps on the battlefield were terrible, but they didn't even slow the Dreadmarch down.  They didn't seem to be fooled by the guise of the Archon, instead their general attacked the servant of Hammar," he says, nodding at Bjorn respectfully.

"I don't see what you mean," Lammermore says, frowning.

"It's that this was probably meant to warn us," Lindsey says, tapping her fingertips on the table.  "Think of it.  They can't outfit their army with gear like this.  They can only outfit their best and brightest.  But the same token, given Radagast's display, I can't believe they expected to win.  Most likely, they kept their elite guard in the back, and sent grunts forward to clear the field of mi--"  She coughs here.  "Of traps -- excuse me -- then unleashed the general.  They let the general attack, even with its dwarven armor, to let us know that some of their number WILL be that well armed, because--"

"They are the Dreadmarch," Kevin says, grinning.  "They want to put fear into us, and letting us know they have a craftsman on their side with the skill of a dwarf would indeed upset us."

"That's my guess," Lindsey agrees, looking slightly put off by being interupted.  "Nonetheless, this also tells us that they're probably holding the worst they have to offer back, and want us to know it."

"Wardmaster Mattias suggests that someone of their number can hear his messages to me," Radagast adds.  "They've the help of a Loremaster, of skill that Mattias admits rivals his own, and a dwarven smith.  This should frighten us, I imagine, but we have our own weapons."

"The sword of seven shadows?" Lammermore asks, one hand going to where his sword would be sheathed, except for the fact that he's not wearing it.

"Among other things," Radagast says, falling into a contemplative silence at that point.

"Right.  Well, more to the point," Kevin says, shaking his head.  "Is there anything we're missing, here?"

[Ginrai]

Ginrai raises an eyebrow when hearing Lindsey's slip of tongue.  'I really need to inform the others of this as soon as possible as well as ask Radagast if any of her vassals are also from our world.'

[Bjorn]

Bjorn coughs quietly to get Kevin's attention.  "My Lord, the General did not attack me -- at least, not at first.  He ignored both the illusion and myself in order to throw something at the direction of the castle.  The question is: who or what was he aiming for, and what did he throw? It was no simple rock."

[Brian]

"That would be because he was targeting us," Devin says.  "Lorekeeper Parthipan's energetic display left the Dreadmarch general a bit unsettled, so he sought to strike the source.  Thankfully, he was also able to shield the tower from the general's attack."

[Bjorn]

"There are two warnings to be found in that," Bjorn says.  "The first is that the Dreadmarch is hunting for our Loremasters.  Master Parthipan's spell, while hardly subtle, was also quick.  Even knowing that it had come from one of the towers, I find it unlikely that the general could have traced it so precisely unless he had been watching.

"The second is this.  It does not require magic to block a sling stone.  Whatever the general used was magic, and I suppose a powerful one -- which, I think, are not easy to come by.  If they took the time to provide the general with such an item, then there are two conclusions: either they meant for the general to succeed, or they have resources to spare."

Bjorn looks around.  "I must disagree with Madame Lindsey's  evaluation of the situation.  The general was not armed well because they wanted us to know they were well-armed, and strike fear into our hearts -- or at least, not solely.  The general was well-armed because all their generals are well-armed.  They do not aim to defeat us by demoralizing us.  They plan to win by attrition.  We might hold against the best and strongest they have to offer -- but not if our strength has been expended in twelve nights of battles like tonight's."  Bjorn purses his lips.  "If that general has killed even one of Sir Lammermore or Sir Breke, or had Master Parthipan not raised his shield in time, where would we be now?"

[Brian]

"In a much more dire situation," Kevin says, frowning.  "I believe it's a given that their best warriors and their generals will be fearsomely equipped....  What concerns me is what prompted the general to show himself today.  Bjorn is most likely correct.  Why would he ignore an Archon visible and vulnerable, a vassal of Hammar who had scared off half of his forces, and then choose to attack the one who was furthest from the field?  If only we had some way to get information from them ... to know what they were planning."

"And if only we had some guarantee that they didn't know what we were planning," Lindsey poses.  "Radagast, how many people knew of the plan -- the illusion -- beforehand?"

Radagast starts.  "Most of those in this room," he says slowly.  "And, Master Durant, the bard.  I spoke also with a few of the other Lorekeepers about this, so that the fires in the foretrench could be timed with Lammermore showing himself to the Dreadmarch."

[Bjorn]

"And everyone in the army," Bjorn points out drily, "knew right before the gates were opened.  If the Dreadmarch does have access to someone who can listen in on Wardmaster Mattias, then it would be child's play for them to pass messages back and forth between any spies they might have and the general.

"This in turn presumes that they were forewarned of the illusion, rather than penetrating it themselves.  Lorekeeper Radagast, how likely is it that they might have discerned Sir Lammermore for who he truly is?"

[Brian]

Astryd looks angry at something, and crosses her arms over her chest.

Radagast thinks about this for a moment, and then says, "The creatures of the Dreadmarch see light differently from us.  Still, my illusions have fooled them in the past.  Then again, they were of simpler thinks than an Archon.  It's possible that the illusion itself simply failed, or maybe even that the general was proof against it.

"As far as word getting back through the keep via a Lorekeeper ... or Loremaster ... of their own, we must await the arrival of Loremaster Mattias.  Then we can place wards to ensure that it's no longer possible, if it had been before."

[Bjorn]

"No," Bjorn says mildly, "we cannot wait.  Wardmaster Mattias may not return for some time to come.  While there are tactics that will be as effective regardless of whether the enemy knows of them or not, we cannot afford to use them.  If the Dreadmarch is aiming to grind us down before they commit their full strength, then we have only two alternatives:  defeat them utterly before they bring their best to bear, or we must conserve our strength as best we can."

He meets Kevin's eyes evenly, and then, in turn, the gaze of all others around the table.  "Tonight's plan failed," he stresses.  "Only Master Parthipan's spellwork and sheer chance prevented disaster.  We can't afford such a risk again.  If there is a spy -- or spies -- we must balk them now.

"Part of this is simple.  No one should know any more of our plans than they must."  Bjorn frowns, eyes downcast.  "There were things that might have been done to keep the illusion from being known to the army at large, and I was remiss in not suggesting them.  Please accept apologies for my failure."

He looks up, then, his face smoothing, but his eyes are hard.  "The much greater risk is that the Dreadmarch is somehow privy to these sessions, my Lord, and this is something we must confront without delay."

[Brian]

Kevin drums his fingers on his desk thoughtfully, and looks at Radagast.  "Is that possible?" he asks.

Radagast looks uncertain, and replies, "It is, though I doubt that they're listening in.  I could be wrong, so...."  He trails off and turns to Bjorn.  "What do you suggest?"