World Revolution

[Brian]

Eske frowns.  "Your choice, then," he says.

[Rezantis]

"That's . . . no, I don't like this at all," Rez looks at Drac, "I really think this is insane.  If dreadmarch scouts are in the wrong place we'll be spotted the moment Eske opens the gate - and then our odds of getting back are very, very poor, Eske with us or not.  Even then their loremaster may detect the gate opening, with roughly the same results. I really think  this is pushing our luck too far."

[Brian]

No one says anything about this, except for Liandral.  "I'm going to have to agree with Nathan," he says apologetically.  "We should be really careful when dealing with the dreadmarch.  Aside from which, no matter how unready they are, there's no way we'd be able to cut through three thousand thousand of them before they'd mount a successful defense against us.  I imagine we could cost them our own number, perhaps twice or even three times that before we were slaughtered to a man."  Eske and Mattias just nod grimly.

[Dracos]

Dracos brushes his beard.  "Perhaps you are right.  Too much victory may have gone to my head a bit.  Let's call off this scouting and keep to just keeping safe here for now.  But I'd like not to just sit powerless out on the plains, so I am quite open to ideas on what else we can do to hamper the dreadmarch while we're stuck here."

Dracos

[Brian]

Mattias pulls out a sheaf of paper and quickly begins making notes on it.  After a few minutes, he hands you a paper which has the following on it:

Code Select Expand

The place where Jacob's house is, Nabiki's refuge from idiocy, and the original name of Nathan's ward.

UHBKWKRMYABBWCBGVFLHWSVZFZTNMIEGOLSQNLOMOQLTMUOGCECG
DGAHCGJEUZYNTHRQMPPDEPBBZZXJHHIUAZZEXSSOFYMLSIHCMUJKYHW
YLQEOGYQFHTNFFKIFUBDYFUGQBXFAKUXVZGOHMSSEVMIHOECCSIKKAP
JVTUVUHIMSEJOBDNIYAZMYAB

[Rezantis]

"Excellent!" Rez grins, "If you guys don't need me for the moment, then, I'll go and work out what this says."

[Brian]

Mattias and Eske look curious; Liandral only tries to glance at the sheet.

[Rezantis]

Rez doesn't turn it away, barely noticing.

"Can I borrow some more paper and ink, Loremasters?"

[Brian]

Mattias obliges, not really certain how you're able to use this to communicate, and curious about it ... but it looks like it's beyond him, too.  Liandral quickly loses intrest after looking at the page for a moment.

[Rezantis]

Rez, well, wanders off and sets to.

And if nobody bugs him, he spends about an hour decoding it.

[Brian]

At about the same time you're most of the way through decoding the message, Nathan and Phil both feel a very familiar sensation -- the sensation of someone else tapping at a corner of your minds.

[Bjorn]

Hello, ladies.  Did you miss me?  And let's try to avoid names -- I'm not sure who else might be listening in.

[Brian]

Mattias stiffens at this, and closes his eyes in concentration.

[Rezantis]

Rez promptly spills his ink bottle over his decryption.

Mattias, for one. Where the fuck did you pull this from, Mr Mindboard?!

[Bjorn]

From my usual bag of tricks.  And that's the first part of my message.  The second part of my message is this: you had best make a pax with Liandral.  Is he still with you?