Unexpected Allies

As they open the door, they see that they do have some other visitors sat at the large meeting table. But they are not dwarves. They see Faewen'il, reading from one of her spellbooks and purposely ignoring the others that are with her. One surprise is that Rowan is there, but that's not all; there are also four individuals that not Winnacer, Yaz nor Porter have seen before.

One is a tall, well-built Bohavian male in his late-twenties with reddish-brown hair and a goatee beard who dresses as if he has come from the countryside. Next to him is a waif-like human female in her late-teens with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. To his right is a middle-aged heavy-set woman in her mid-forties with graying hair and last, but by no means least, there is another female human in her late teens or early twenties, dressed in a rather comely outfit of black leather.

They all look up at the threesome as they enter the room and look at them intently, looking back at them.

Yaz enters the meeting room several steps behind Winnacer, looking more pale and sick than his friends had ever seen him. He not so much walks as shuffles, his shoulders down, his movements lethargic, his eyes nearly closed with their heaviness. His dirty, matted, reddish hair drapes all around his head, usually curly but now flat and limp. The joint he pinches has not much longer to live, but he holds it to his lips and attacks it hungrily, his whole body caving to create the suction rather than just his mouth and throat. If he notices the extra people in the room, he is neither surprised nor interested. He moves to an empty chair and deposits himself in it, then seems content to stare into space.

Winnacer gazes at each one of them in turn with a flat expression, allowing Spravedelna Herself to guide his Judgement. He seems to be relatively happy with his findings.

His evaluation completed, he steps forward, his eyes to Faewen'il:

"Are these friends of yours? Or does Rowan know this lot?"

Faewen'il looks up from her book for a moment:

"They be nothing ta do with me," she scowls. "They're Rowan's new friends. I'm just the delivery girl."

With that she scowls once more and goes back to reading her book.

The heavy-set woman then stands:

"We've already 'met' Faewen'il and Rowan. I'm Milly Fradiska, this.. ."

She gestures toward the attractive lady in leather:

"...is Candy Dark ..."

She indicates the slender girl:

"...Damene Solaris and the lone gentleman is Dax Renhardt."

As Milly completes the introductions, Damene leans over to whisper something to Dax.

Yaz looks up through his locks to see the four visitors, but returns to his own world moments after.

Although she addresses the new trio, Milly's eyes turn toward Rowan:

"Shouldn't there be a lady with you?" she asks and then turns back to the new arrivals.

"Rowan was explaining that you have a rat problem and thought that we might be able to help."

Candy raises an eyebrow:

"Even moreso, we need a favor in return. We need information from Rowan and Joy to stop some rightfully angry druids from destroying Olmutz."

"Is there someplace we can talk?" she asks.

Yaz's downcast head stops moving suddenly, and the constant crown of smoke rising through his hair is cut off at its source. He's listening.

Winnacer looks at Yaz briefly:

"Spravedelna works in mysterious ways."

The young Lord turns his attention back to the newcomers:

"Well, we can certainly use some help. I am Winnacer Duene Stradheim, LawBringer of Spravedelna. This is Yaz Charaz and this is Porter. It is nice to meet all of you."

Candy bats her eyes at the three men, smirking shamelessly.

"What Rowan says is quite true," the LawBringer continues. "Opava shall shortly be beset with a vermin plague that is almost too fanciful to believe. All has been seen to, except filling out the personnel to man our post."

"We need a few good Bohavians to fight for a Just cause in these hard times."

Winnacer pauses briefly:

"However, while we certainly need help, I do not wish to have the blood of the inexperienced on my hands. The rats have always given us a hard fight and we number too few to ensure the safety of those that are unfamiliar with the wiles of combat. So if it is simply bravado that has brought you to us, it may be best that you say so now and live to see more tomorrows."

Milly chuckles.

"I thank you for your concern, but you don't have worry about ol' Milly."

"Um, no, it's actually our wish to help the people of Olmutz," Candy replies. "You see, evidently some druid and his girlfriend brought some Spravedelnan to the Druid's enclave and overheard some deal with the Slovenes about taking the city. The Sprav guy ratted them out and, well, the Nyemetz pretty much exterminated the druids there. We've found out who was responsible for ratting out the druids to the Nyemetz, and we need some assistance from Joy and Rowan to get the proof the Council needs to hopefully dissuade Cil from taking his wrath out on the general populace, who really had nothing to do with it, but seeing all his friends and colleagues dead, kinda upset him. And that, my dear LawBringer, is why we are here. So, we're willing to do whatever it takes here, to help you out, so that some or all of you can help us out. Because we don't want the innocent to suffer anywhere. So, no, I don't really think I'm the best warrior in the world, but I'm willing to give it a shot. How about you? Are you willing to help us prevent a slaughter in Olmutz when we're done here?"

Candy, for once, does not smirk, but looks at Winnacer, Porter, and Yaz with all sincerity.

Porter looks about with as innocent a face as he can possibly muster:

"Gee, Winnacer ran his big fat trap and got a bunch of Yaz's buddies slaughtered."

He looks directly at the paladin for a moment, raising his eyebrows and saying:

"Nice going."

Winnacer's eyes gleam with anger at Porter, but he holds his tongue. He instead looks towards Yaz.

Candy's eyes widen in shock:

"Well, then. I suppose you will have to help us."

"And maybe you should pay a visit to the Druids' grove."

Her face darkened somewhere between rage and grief:

"It was pretty much a helpless slaughter. Oh man."

"Sounds like it's f***in' too late for that," Yaz' voice announces from under the veil of locks, smoke pulsing out of his mouth with every word, and unexpectedly loud given the druid's apparent apathy. He's looking up now through glazed eyes toward Candy.

"Uh," he begins, his voice as low and smouldering as he can make it, "so, who was the rat at the Church, then? Is he... dead, yet?

Candy blushes:

"Um, no. We were working for Soukup, the Chief Justice at the Cathedral of Spravedelna. He wanted evidence and all that stuff. We know he's the OverGeld though. Yiravsky himself. He needs to die."

"And how do I know you're not shitting me?" the druid asks her, not quite ready to take devastating news from strangers without question.

Winnacer looks at Faewen'il for an answer. Faewen'il looks back at him with a shrug and a smirk:

"Ye be tha Great Lord o' Justice, Sar Winnacer," she smirks. "Ye be usin Spravedelna's powers ta be telling if'n they be tellin' ye the truth or nae, not mine."

With that, she returns to reading her book, although it is obvious that she is listening to everything that is going on around her.

Candy blinks:

"Well, I guess you don't. Other than I sure came a long way to play a rather nasty practical joke."

Her aquamarine eyes look haunted for a second.

"I know you probably don't want to believe me, but, well, this isn't the kind of thing I would make up."

"And," she looks at Winnacer for a moment, "no offence to you, LawBringer, but my first thought was maybe the druids should raze the Church of Spravedelna in retribution for the rat."

"But I don't even think the Obkodians even know that Yiravsky did this. It's the case of an evil man doing more evil. And he needs to be stopped. And I wouldn't mind helping to do the stopping."

Candy then walks over to Yaz:

"Um, can I have a hit of that. I think I need it."

Yaz is paler now even than before. He holds the half-inch remains of his doobie out to Candy in an outstretched palm, absently.

Candy takes it from him and inhales deeply, then hands the tiny remains back to Yaz. Her hands shaking slightly, she orders a bottle of brandy and begins to drink.

"And how do you feel, Justice?" the druid asks Winnacer, a tremor in his voice before he pushes himself out of his chair and walks over to the man, steadying himself on a chairback as he passes, slighly wobbily:

"...Guilty?"

He pushes his hair behind his ears as he stands before the LawBringer, his scimitar at one hip, his heavy winter boots helping to keep him on two feet as he wavers slightly from side to side.

Winnacer places a steadying hand on the Druid. He speaks to Yaz in a gentle, quiet tone of concern:

"I am sorry, my friend."

The Paladin takes a deep breath.

"You and I both know what was said. We both heard Cil speak about his plans to support the Slovene destruction of Olmutz. He spoke about it openly, knowing full well what I am and whom I serve. And you vehemently argued with him, concern over the lives of the innocents that would die if the Slovenes were to raze Olmutz."

"A divided Olmutz will certainly fall, with only misery following in its wake."

"In my concern for the peoples of Olmutz, I consulted with the Chief Justice Soukup and left the matter to his Judgement. Shortly after, we were already on the road here."

Winnacer shakes his head sadly:

"I cannot even hazard a guess as to what happened next. As we learned with Sylva, the Nyemetz often hide beneath a friendly guise. However, it seems that these newcomers do know and can enable us to do something about it."

"I can taste the bile rising in my throat at the idea that such a tragic Injustice still goes unpunished. But it pales to the pain I feel just watching you, knowing that the deaths of your Brothers and Sisters in Nature is breaking your heart."

"We will find the bastards reponsible for this, Yaz. They will have to answer to all of the Druids, their lives forfeit by their crimes against the Brothers and Sisters of Prirodna and those against Bohavia in general."

Winnacer's features lose a bit of their hardness:

"I'm sorry, Yaz. They were not supposed to die. Nobody was supposed to die."

Winnacer trails off to silence, his focus simply set upon his pained collegue.

Yaz grins wryly:

"Oh, we'll answer all right. We'll answer but good. Seems to me the only fair thing at this point would be to visit Obkod's temple at Olmutz and kill everybody we see. It doesn't have to happen right away of course, and we'll need more druids helping since the Obkodians can afford to hire some pretty good fighters. But soon, I hope."

The druid spits his words, and is shaking all over. He raises a hand to his forehead:

"O Prirodna, why in Your name did You let me take a Civ to Your temple? It's the last time, dear Lady, I swear! Forgive me!"

When he opens his eyes again he is looking at Candy:

"What's his name, you said? Yiravsky? In Olmutz? What's he look like?"

His eyes narrow, then he finds his bag, checking it carefully before slinging it over his shoulder.

Candy starts to describe him, then shakes her head:

"No, I think you'll go off by yourself and get killed. This guy is the head of the church of Obkod. He was in a Committee Meeting with the other churches, called by Soukup, who spilled the beans your friend spilled to him. Then the OverGeld, NOT Soukup, sold the information to the Nyemetz, and, well, it was bad. Yaz, I swear I'll help you with any vengeance you want to seek. My clan has always been close to those of Prirodna. But neither you nor I can do it by ourselves. Let's kill some rats. And then maybe your other friends and me and Dax and Damene and Milly can help you get some justice. OK?"

Yaz glares at Candy:

"I don't want f***in' justice. I want those f***ers to f***in' pay."

And with that, he drops to the floor like a rag doll and remains there in a semi-cross-legged position, staring at the floor, clutching his stomach as if he's ravenously hungry.

Candy looks bemused:

"Well, that's the justice I was talkin' about, darlin'," she says.

"Until then, brandy?"

Yaz does not respond.

"Well," Dax interjects into the tumult, with a glance of confusion at Candy, "I think it's a stretch to blame the Spravedelnans for anything that's happening in Olmutz. All they are really 'guilty' of is bringing Cil's plans to help the Slovenes to the attention of the other Churches -- which they SHOULD have, if you ask me. The damned Slovenes aren't a solution to any of Bohavia's problems. They're worse than the Nyemetz and'll probably be twice as hard to get rid of."

Porter interjects:

"Oh, so you're saying that Winnacer was trying to help, but it turned out to be a major f***-up. Well, I thought only low-life scum who aren't worthy of drawing fresh air in the presence of greatness would do such a thing. Well, anyway, you want some salt with that foot, Winn?"

Dax raises an eyebrow but says nothing, shifting his curious eyes from Porter to Winnacer, and then to Candy. When his gaze falls on her, they seem to say the same to her as Porter said to Winnacer. But then he gives her a short smirk and a shake of his head and reaches for his wineskin again:

"But Candy's right in one thing ... at least," Dax adds, "we can't deal with Olmutz right now."

Dax's words shift everyone's attention back to the most pressing of the moment; the impending ratmen invasion of Opava.

It is obvious that the young Lord is greatly troubled by what he has learned regarding the situation in Olmutz, but he returns to the matter at hand as he turns to face the new arrivals once more:

"If you are not intimidated by what is shaping up to be a battle for the ages, then we'll be glad to have you aboard," Winnacer says.

"If you all could tell us a little about how you can aid us in the coming fight, we'd appreciate it," the young Lord adds. "And if you can explain how it is that you found your way to us in this Hole, I would appreciate it. I thought we were the only Bohavians in town."

Sitting back down, Milly reaches out for the tankard of ale on the table in front of her:

"I may be well past my prime, but I can still swing a sword."

Candy looks a bit confused:

"Um, Rowan brought us here. Well, Rowan via Fae, that is. We promised to help Rowan in order for him and his cousin to help us. I think that's right, right?"

She looks around at Milly, Damene, and Dax for confirmation.

Milly tips her head towards Candy in acknowledgement.

"And High Priestess Kadymova of the Spravedelnan temple sent us to find Rowan," Dax replies casually, putting away the wineskin he had been sipping from since arriving. "After she and the Chief Justice set us on the task of finding the Druids' betrayer."

"P'raps that might allay some of your concerns over whether we are capable of helping you, Lord Winnacer?" Dax adds, without malice, but with a tone that he certainly expects this to be the case.

"So you were summoned by Chief Justice Soukup?" the LawBringer questions.

Winnacer shakes his head, somewhat amused. He quietly repeats:

"Spravedelna certainly works in mysterious ways."

"Well, if Rowan and Joy are willing, I think we can perhaps find a way to help you out once Opava is safe again."

Winnacer looks at Yaz again, perhaps apologetically:

"Especially considering that some of us may have had a hand in causing Olmutz's troubles."

''I don't carry this sword around because of its multitude of other uses besides fighting," Dax says with a small but genuine grin, patting the hilt of a long sword hanging from his belt.

"Name's Dax, Dax Renhardt, by the way," he says, nodding to Winnacer, Yaz, Faewen'il and Porter.

After everyone settles down again, Damene speaks:

"Add another sword. And as long as we all pass inspection, I agree with Milly and would like to hear any plans you've made."

Turning back to Winnacer, Milly says:

"Now Rowan has made clear that you're headin' this bunch. And as seeing that you seem to know what we're fightin', I'm plenty willin' to follow whatever plan you've already come up with. Since we've heard that the rats are supposed to be invading tomorrow, I assume that you DO have a plan?"

"Well, we have a bit more time than that before they are upon us," Winnacer replies. "Not much, but some."

A slight smile crosses his features:

"I was also expecting to work with a bit less than what Spravedelna has graciously provided."

Winnacer walks forward to the table, fumbling through his backpack. He withdraws a single sheet of vellum, with a crudely drawn map of tunnels, each marked with more crude estimates of distance.

Milly leans forward to get a better look at the map.

"This is what Yaz and I went to scout today," the young Lord starts to explain. "Not the most naturally defensive position and quite a tight squeeze."

"They are not expecting much in the way of resistance and should not yet realize that their pestilence plot has been foiled. So it is doubtful that they will be overly cautious in their entrance. We are going to use their own expectations against them."

"Tomorrow we are going to select where the battle is to occur. We will mold the stone of the walls themselves to allow us to conceal a few of our number while the mass of them pass, using the stone plug technique artfully employed by Yaz."

"We also will pick a second site, the place where we will set off our ambush. A place that affords us a little more manueverability than the narrow confines of the mineshafts."

"The jist of the plan will be to allow the ratmen to pass our scouting positions while keeping them confined to the narrow mineshaft. Under the guise of either illusion or invisibility, we will launch our attacks."

"Confined as they will be, Faewen'il's powerful electric bolts should wreck havoc amongst their troops. Hopefully such attacks will also ignite some of their heavier weapons, increasing the devastation inflicted. Hopefully we can supplement the ambush with other attacks of similiar power, whether it be with caliver or bowfire."

"With their attention focused forward, our hidden scouts can then get to work at their rear. Perhaps cutting off their escape with magikal and mundane caltrops would be a good start."

"With the escape route rendered treacherous and their ranks shaken with the fury of our surprise attack, we strike with our death blow. Spravedelna can strike fear in the hearts of all whom are Injust, sending them running for their lives through our field of caltrops and the capable arms of our flankers."

"Those whom resist will find themselves suffering the continued fury of missile fire and spellcraft from our ambush position. I pray that such punishment would be enough if it goes as planned. But the rats are quite a resilent foe, and we cannot expect this to be enough."

"That was the skeletal idea that I've been tinkering with. It was more designed for five rather than nine, but we should find roles for all of you."

"So what do you all think of that?"

Candy listens:

"Well, I don't have much trouble being invisible, but I can only make myself invisible. Otherwise, I'm not very stealthy really. I am pretty good at getting in and out of tight places, but I'd want to make sure I knew when friendly fire was coming so I didn't get accidently incinerated or anything. That would really suck."

"So, scouting is OK for me, if ya want me to," she adds.

Candy then looks at Fae:

"If we can work out when the mistress of lightning is going to do her magicks."

She smirks a cocky grin at Fae. The magess pretends not to notice.

Milly leans back trying to get comfortable in a chair that is definitely not sized for one of her stature:

"It sounds like your 'scouts' are going to be on the wrong side of lynchin' if even the littlest thing goes wrong. But as my friends here will tell ya', Milly's not the plannin' type, so that probably beats anything that I would come up with."

"That's true," Winnacer agrees. "But to be honest, these tunnels really don't give those on the ambushing end much in the way of escape routes either. And it's a long way from the shafts to Opava."

"But we do have the capability of turning most of the scouts invisible if we choose. If we place the hidey-holes high, they can release their caltrops and other tricks without spoiling their invisibility. That way they have the option of waiting and watching things from the safety of their holes, or make a line back towards our lines."

"Any way you slice it, it's a risky business. But I have a feeling that if it comes to the point where retreat is our best option, it will be too late."

"By the way, any idea how many of these rat-men we'll be fightin'?" Milly asks. "If you were plannin' on holdin' them off with just the five of you, four more players should push the bettin' odds way in our favor shouldn't it?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot even guess at the number of rats likely to come through our hole," Winnacer replies. "We know that they are several thousand in number. But figure that some need to stay behind to defend their city, many will be females and young and the rest need to be split amongst 13 tunnels."

"It may be too many rats for a half a dozen swords to make a real difference. But the extra bodies will help those with powers to affect large numbers of the enemy to successfully implement their attacks."

Winnacer adds as an afterthought:

"But you never know. That's why I've been praying to Spravedelna to send me some reinforcements for this stand."

Milly looks around at the others hopefully.

"Um, yeah, isn't lightning a bit dangerous to be sending down a corridor with your own folks possibly on the other end of it. It's hard to see me when I'm invisible," Candy adds, nervously.

"Protected by stone slabs and higher up on the mineshaft walls, those hidden should be safe from such a blast," the young Lord replies. "And considering the bolt will be signal to begin our attack, everyone should be safely hidden and watching when it is launched."

"Oh, so the scouts will not go in until after it's cast? Or it won't be cast until the scouts come back out?" asks Candy, clearly confused.

"The scouts will be in hiding before the rats even arrive," the LawBringer explains, "laying in wait."

"OK, I can do that, if you want," grins Candy. "I just have an aversion to lightning, well, when it's passing through my body, that is."

"I can use a sling OK," she continues. "I'm not bad with a whip either."

Winnacer looks the newcomers up and down:

"None of you have the talent of spellcrafting? Ah well. I guess I should have prayed harder. How about gunnes? "

Candy smirks:

"And here I thought I was the one praying for you."

"I'm not one who crafts spells," she continues, "though my Goddess sometimes grants me magicks as She sees fit. I would not take that credit on myself though."

"Mostly humble things though. Nothing like what yon magess can do," adds Candy.

Winnacer looks hopeful:

"Anybody ever fire one?"

"Nope, fraid not. And, er, those things are dangerous," Candy warns.

Milly shakes her head:

"Sorry, never trusted the things."

"Winnacer, I can't use a gunne either -- though I guess I could be shown to," Dax says. "But my sword and bow will take just as big a toll."

Winnacer shrugs:

"Well I guess we can get our hands on some Greek fire or some nets or something. They are at least easier to use."

Winnacer then looks at Yaz, Porter, and Faewen'il:

"Looks like we still have a lot of work to do."

"I can tell ya' I'm not much for sneaking, so ya' better count on me for the front line," Milly adds.

"I think we can definitely help," Dax nods, having gotten up from his chair to have a better look at the map.

"I haven't any bolts or such, but I DO have a bow."

"So I guess the best place for me in this is as one of the ambushers," he says. "Or I can give the spellcasters some protection."

"Maybe the best thing I can do is to watch the magess' back, since her bolts seem to be the key to this battle?" he asks, with a quick, wary glance toward Faewen'il.

Throughout the discussion, Damene keeps silent and just continues to watch each of the new faces intently. She even casts occasional glances at Faewen'il to see if the magess is showing any reaction to the taunts and outbursts. Faewen'il, however, has a bored look upon her face, showing that such debates, accusations and tragedies are nothing new to her whatsoever. As it finally seems that things have settled down again, Damene looks back at the LawBringer:

"I'm afraid I've never used a gunne either, but like Dax, I'm willing to learn. I have a pretty good throwing arm...at least with daggers and the like. I don't know how you were planning on using the Greek fire, but I might be able to help with...dispensing it."

"I think it's just left to decide how exactly each of us will be used."

Porter abandons giving the paladin crap for the moment, saying:

"I have some skill with laying traps and other assorted methods to slow their advance. However, what I have in mind probably isn't going to work with what you have planned already. If you want, I can lay some stuff right at the beginning of the tunnel that will take out the front ranks of their advance. That will alert them that their attack is without surprise. Also, we'll have to stay clear of the trapped area. Let me know."

Winnacer nods, his face wary:

"What may work with the plan is if you were to set your traps right in front of the ambushing ranks. That way, those rushing forward will have another nasty surprise in store. It also provides our line another layer of protection."

"What I do need to know is what kinds of traps you have in mind. Considering that we have the service of our illusionist, we may be able to hide the traps even better than we could have done otherwise."

Winnacer then changes the subject:

"While we have discussed what skills some of us may have, we have not discussed some of the more important issues. It appears to me that most of you haven't realized this is all going down in the pitch black of the underdark. We'll be laying in wait for hours with no light and making no sound. Those who are taking scout duty are going to need a way to see in the dark."

Winnacer looks at the newcomers:

"That likely excludes most of you, unless there is something I do not know."

"So beyond issues of setting the ambush, we need to figure out how we are going to provide some illumination for us. And how we can use such illumination against our enemy, as the Lord Protektor did against us recently."

"Sorry," Dax shrugs at Winnacer, slightly apologetically. "I can't offer much in that area other than lighting a conventional lantern. And I guess you're right that we DIDN'T realize it'd be pitch black ..."

" ... maybe if any of us had ever been here before. ..." Dax muses 'to himself', with a grin.

"But, unless WE'RE missing something most of you need light too, 'cept maybe him," he adds, indicating Yaz. "And I thought I heard you saying that you had some other allies with magick? Have any of them got some answers to this?"

Porter speaks up:

"What I had in mind would require us to keep a wide berth from the area, as I'm sure no one wants to get hit by anything. Thus, it's really only suitable to slow their advance through the tunnel. It would help prevent us from getting overwhelmed, but it's only usable in the manner I described. Otherwise, in the heat of battle, one of us is likely to walk into one of the traps and buy the farm. I'm just raising it as an option. If it's not going to work, that's fine."

Faewen'il then decides to add her comments to the tactical debate:

"It be seemin ta me, though I jus be a stupid thoughtless child, o course," she says with a certain amount of bitterness, "that seein' as how all o us apart from Yaz are Bohavians that cannae see in tha dark, an all the rat creatures can see in tha dark, that tha ratmen are goin ta be havin tha advantage if'n we be fightin in tha dark."

"One o tha spells that I can be castin can make magickal light parmanantly. If'n ye like, I can be makin a few stones to shine light which we can keep hidden until we're ready ta spring tha trap."

"Now, there. See? Problem solved," Dax chuckles. "Maybe the 'stupid, thoughtless' child should handle all the planning. Two problems getting in here to lend you a hand -- she's solved both of 'em."

"So," he says to Winnacer, "now that we know the way to enlightenment ..."

Winnacer shakes his head at Dax, then turns to Faewen'il:

"Your point is well taken and having such light sources at our disposal will be handy. But, as it has been pointed out, only Yaz, our illusionist friend, and myself can see in this pitch black. If we are to spring this trap, we're going to need to aim. And to watch. I have an idea that may provide light without drawing too much in the way of suspicion."

Winnacer looks towards Yaz:

"The last time we were underground, we came across whole varieties of fungi that radiated various colors of light. If we could get our hands on some of those fungi, say from Mrs. Ververka, would it be possible to cause them to grow? We could then place patches of fungi haphazardly through the trap, providing a source of light that would be somewhat natural in the environment. That way we could all see the rats, without illumination forcing us to show our hand."

Winnacer shakes himself out of his reverie:

"Is it possible Yaz?"

Yaz shrugs limply, proving that he is both bored out of his skull and listening closely:

"Sure. But it's a stupid idea."

He looks up slowly, slyly, to see what reaction he gets.

Tired of being squeezed into a chair too small for her, Milly stands and proceeds to pace around the room, a mannerism becoming quite familiar to those that have spent time in her company:

"If ya' can't grow the mushrooms, could ya' have one a' your illusionists create 'em out of magic?"

Winnacer nods:

"We'll have to ask. But that may work just as well."

Faewen'il looks up again:

"Illusions that nae be needin tha caster ta concentrate be very hard ta do," she explains. "An it is nae gonna be possible to cover a great long tunnel with it neither. He'd only be able to do a little bit o it at best."

Winnacer then looks back at Dax:

"For those sitting in the cubby holes for a couple of hours, having an ambient light source may keep their nerves from getting frayed and their minds from getting disoriented. It will do no good for them to have a light source in a bag, and taking it out may allow the light to seep through the cracks in the stone."

Winnacer shakes his head, wondering if he was blissfully ignorant like these new recruits four months back. Looking at their new faces brimming with confidence, he cannot keep himself from recalling the bravado of both Porter and Rowan just weeks ago. Such confidence was quickly beaten out of them. Hopefully this new green bunch would survive long enough to realize that they are a bit over their heads, despite their talk.

"It sounds like the ambush role WOULD be best left to folks a little more used to this environment," Dax continues. "So I think I'll be best staying out of sight 'til the trap is sprung, guarding the spellcasters and then cutting off these ratmens' escape once the initial blows have been leveled."

"Don't think I've ever faced anything like these creatures, though," Dax continues, very seriously. "Not that I don't think they'll cut just as well as the Nyemetz' greenskins, but ..."

Winnacer takes a deep breath. It was going to be quite the challenge keeping this new bunch alive. Winnacer runs his eyes over his older companions. At least they have come together some:

"Well, this is how I see it. We can ask our allies at the Church of Zemnye to aid us in sculpting two alcoves with stone covers. Hopefully, they can be large enough for two people each. Yaz will team with Rowan in the first, Porter will team with Dax in the second. Porter will be most effective striking at the rear. Yaz will provide them with druidic support and Rowan will see to it that his spells are not interrupted. Dax will give Porter a hand, especially if open melee breaks out."

"We will supply the holes with nets, caltrops, and Greek fire, to be dispensed as best seen fit. Hopefully the scouts will be able to dispense caltrops quietly to cut off their escape prior to taking direct action."

Winnacer gives Porter a look that is all business:

"You hang on to this," he says pulling a fist-sized object from his pack. "The Priest of Ohen have fashioned this three second grenade from some of our powder charges. Light and hurl it if the need arises... but be careful. We don't want to bring down the shafts on your head."

Porter's eyes light up as he is handed the bomb. He slowly nods his understanding as he carefully examines the device, saying:

"Three seconds, huh?"

"Faewen'il, our illusionist friend, Milly, Damene, Candy, and myself will wait at the ambush point," Winnacer continues. "We will place a line of caltrops in front of our position and attempt to wait until the entire enemy group has passed our scout group. We will use the cover of illusion to hide our position. We will act upon Faewen'il's Bolt, using our various magicks to hide our numbers and keep the rats confused as to where the attacks are coming from."

Candy smirks:

"I can just be invisible, if ya like. No sense wasting an illusion on me. I can't see in the dark though. But I've always wanted to, if that counts."

"We need to speak with our illusionist friend in order to decide what illusions would be best suited," the young Lord continues, "from invisibility ensorcellments to bright pyrotechnic displays. But his spells should be focused on keeping them confused and making it impossible to focus on any particular enemy."

"When we launch our attack, our three ladies and myself will lay on with missile fire. Those unfamiliar with a bow will get a crash course tomorrow. We will support Faewen'il with missile fire."

Winnacer looks at Faewen'il:

"Do you have any other ideas here? How many of these bolts can you cast?"

The magess shrugs:

"It be dependin on what other tricks ye be wantin ye 'pet mage' to be helping ye with this time," she replies in the sarcastic voice that is the only one that any of the newcomers have heard her to use. "If'n ye be wantin me only as nothing more than a piece o artillery then I can be castin two o the lightnin bolts an five o tha magickal missiles you've seen me usin afore."

"Two lightning bolts will probably work the best here, unless you have other ideas," Winnacer replies. "While it is tempting to perhaps take all attack spells, you may want to consider other magicks to slow any possible advance."

Milly stops and turns towards Winnacer.

"You can certainly TRY to teach me how to use a bow. I won't stop ya. I should warn you though that my husband once tried to teach me."

"Our team ate horsemeat for a week."

Candy raises her hand seeing that she has been assigned the role of schoolgirl:

"Er, Mr. Winnacer, I'm afraid I can't use a bow. Sorry. Boli wouldn't like it much. I can use a sling though, and that might actually work better in such tight quarters."

Winnacer turns back to the group:

"We will continue to pour fire into their front ranks, targeting certain targets which I will describe shortly. Eventually, they will charge, hitting our forward line of caltrops as they try to break through. I will then use my powers to send as many of them running away in fear. Those who manage to make it through these barriers can be engaged by our ladies, keeping our mages free to cast."

"Is everybody comfortable with those assignments? Does anybody have other ideas that would work nicely in this framework?"

'I hope he's not going to assign homework too,' Candy thinks. 'He really needs to loosen up a bit. Ah, well, there were some disadvantages of not looking your age too,' she supposes. 'Then again, he doesn't seem to be treating Milly any better.'

"Um, Mr. Winnacer, I think I might make a better scout than slingman." Candy says, "I can get into and out of tight places pretty easily. I can be invisible pretty much whenever I want, and I'm really not that good with weapons. I might even be able to scare some of these rat guys into coming out toward y'all at a run."

"Is there anything you know of that really makes them pee their pants?" she asks, quietly.

Winnacer replies without a trace of humor:

"Spravedelna does."

"What does she look like?" asks Candy, with a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

The LawBringer then pauses for a moment before continuing:

"Well, I agree that you probably are more capable as a scout, but their position may get themselves up to their elbows in swordplay. Please do not take offense, but with just a whip and leathers to keep you safe, I would fear for your life."

"However, you say you are a Priestess of sorts? Their position will have clerical support from Yaz. Ours will receive...err....Boli's blessings. I believe having you at the central position may be best, even if Dax may be more proficient at missile combat."

"Of sorts?" asks Candy, smirking. "Nah, Winnacer, I'm a full-fledged card-carrying Bolite. Paid my dues and all. I just can't see standing around firing missiles, not that I'm planning on being visible at all during the combat."

"Aside from being able to see in the dark - and that the ratmen 'parently can use gunnes and such -- is there anything else any of you can tell about what we can expect fighting them?" Dax asks.

Winnacer takes a deep breath before he starts to retell all that he told the Council Members and the Diggerz about the ratman threat. He then adds:

"You can expect that, even if we perfectly execute this ambush, then you'll see more action than you've seen in your life. You may think that I'm just trying to scare you all, but I believe that you all should truly understand what you are involved in. But perhaps you should ask the others as to what they think of our enemy."

Candy laughs at this:

"I dunno," she says, sipping from the brandy as it finally begins to take the chill off her memories of the Grove, "I've seen quite a bit of action."

She winks at Dax.

Dax looks as if he is about to swallow his goatee, so hard is he biting his bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

Damene keeps her eyes focused on Winnacer throughout his explanations. She watches him, her face blank of any expression except for a slight tightening around the jaw. As the LawBringer finishes summing up his thoughts and delivering his parting shot, she holds up her hand in a gesture indicating that it is now her turn to speak.

Damene addresses Winnacer in her usual soft voice:

"Understanding what we are involved in does not mean we have to sit here quaking in our boots. We've admitted we don't know the details of the situation and have asked for you to provide as much information as possible. We've done our best to help with the planning. And we've been willing to set our ideas aside when a better one was presented. Usually by you. You were presented as a 'leader' of this group and we haven't taken that from you. I for one am impressed by your ability to develop what seems to be a sound strategy...for covering a great many details and trying to be sure to not leave anything to chance. I would not count that as a strength anyone in our group," she stops to indicate herself, Milly, Dax and Candy, "possesses. But we do have our strengths...one of those being an ability to recognize when something needs to be done and being willing to do it."

"So, whether you think we're too young, too inexperienced, or just too naive to be aware of the horrors of life...what it comes down to is that we are willing to do this."

"And besides that, we're all you've got."

Damene looks at Winnacer for another moment and then turns to look at the rest of the room:

"Now, once again I seem to have gotten us off on a tangent...."

She turns back to Winnacer:

"Where were we?"

Porter speaks up:

"Okay, let me try to summarize the plan and see if I've got it right. Four of us are going to be secreted up front near the beginning of the tunnel. We let the rat bastards pass by, and when Fae lights up the place, we come up from behind and attack. I'm not clear on where Rowan and Yaz are, so you might want to repeat that."

"Two alcoves, two men in each," Winnacer suggests. "Dax and yourself in one, Yaz and Rowan in the second. A good mix of skills and heavier melee weapons."

Porter continues:

"Anyway, here's my main concern. What if the rats hold a sizable force in reserve, or even worse, there are so many of them that when the front rank hits you guys, they're still passing the four of us by. If we come out at that point, we could get overwhelmed very easily."

"True," the young Lord admits. "Hopefully, Fae's bolts will be able to cover all that territory. But if not, you guys can just wait, let the reserves advance, and then spring on them. Then we will advance and support you, if possible."

Faewen'il laughs at this:

"Ye nae be watchin me cast it afore," she smirks. "I can be castin either a forked bolt 10 feet wide and 40 feet long or a single bolt 5 feet wide and 80 feet long. It be soundin like tha tunnel be much longer than that. Porter be right in worryin."

"So it sounds that we should aim to put the scouting holes about 90 feet away from our ambush position," Winnacer interjects.

"My second concern is your group, Winn," Porter continues. "Trading missile fire with the rat bastards may not be the best of ideas. They've got their flamethrowers and those big gunnes that could wipe you guys out pretty fast. If you're going to go with your plan, I suggest you have the dwarves stone shape you a wall, say three to four feet high, all the way across the tunnel at your ambush point. It would give you guys a lot of cover, and slow their advance."

"As long as our illusionist friend can keep it from view, that sounds like a good idea," Winnacer agrees. "Hopefully the big gunnes and flame cannons will be taken out before they get to fire. I doubt even a stone partisan will stand up to more than a couple of those shots."

Porter nods:

"Yeah, it might not hold up against the gunnes, but it would probably work pretty well against the flame cannons. Plus, you have to reload the gunnes. The wall would protect you from the first volley and hopefully there won't be a second. But another question. I'm not too familiar with how illusions work, so how extensive could it be? Could we have torches burning and everything, and just have an illusion to make the whole thing look like a dark tunnel? That would solve the light problem. Another thing - I hope these rat bastards don't have a good sense of smell. They very well might, and if that's the case, we could be dead ducks in those alcoves."

Winnacer smiles:

"Well, it looks like baths for all of you then, especially Yaz."

"Will baths make us smell like ratmen?" queries Candy, quite seriously. "I mean, if they can smell--what does us being clean have to do with it? Clean me still doesn't smell like a rat. It smells like a clean, uh, human."

"We could also leave something dead and smelly on the ground to cover the stench," the LawBringer continues, "preferably covered in phosphorescent moss."

Porter raises an eyebrow, saying:

"Yeah, I certainly want to inhale the fresh smell of carrion for a few hours while we wait. Anyway, I just want it on the record that I think this idea of planting the four of us, three of whom can't see in the dark, behind an enemy we don't know the size of is a really bad idea. I'm just telling you so you can put it on my tombstone."

Winnacer thinks on Porter's words for a second:

"It would be really nice to know how many of the rats we are facing. Perhaps we can consult our deities about that tomorrow."

"Perhaps it may be worth considering swapping Dax for myself. I can see in the dark and Spravedelna's fear may aid us if the scouts look as to be overwhelmed. Considering two of Faewen'il's lightning bolts should take out anything that they throw at us, there really may not be anything left to scare away."

Winnacer shakes his head in the affirmative:

"Perhaps that would be best. Would that be all right with you Dax? That will keep all of you together as well. It will also help provide the scouts with a mechanism for retreat."

Winnacer looks at Porter:

"Any plan we choose may end up a disaster. But this is the only one that will keep them out of Opava and prevent them from wiping us all out with one mighty attack."

"But you won't die here. It took too much effort to put you back together to let you just fall apart again. I'll hole up with you."

Porter shrugs, as he thinks to himself about now being faced with sharing the same small alcove with the paladin for hours:

"I'VE GOT A BIG MOUTH!"

Porter finishes:

"Oh, and if I get accidentally roasted by one of Fae's bolts, there's going to be hell to pay."

Faewen'il smirks at this, but Milly's ever-present smile fades a little:

"Be careful what you assume, Mr. Stradheim. I may be old, and it's certainly been a long time since I've seen 'action', but just because I'm not dressed in fancy robes or ", tipping her head in Yaz's direction, " covered in dirt, doesn't mean I'm a green recruit."

She crosses her arms exposing a lacework of scars on her forearms:

"I'm a simple woman, Mr. Stradheim, so I'll just assume that you've had a bad day and move on. I'll be happy to follow your lead in this mission, but your tone is getting very close to condescension, and if you want my help, you can leave that tone out by the horse trough."

Winnacer smiles at Milly, seeming to enjoy such straight-forward talk:

"I mean not to be condescending," he replies. "I simply seek to warn you, as I have warned every other person who has fought at my side. My conscience could not bear the knowledge that somebody died at my side not truly understanding what I got them involved in."

"We all deserve to make our own choices, and they should be informed ones when possible. For only then can one truly put themselves behind their choice."

Milly's smile returns:

"So who wants to hold my archery target tomorrow?"

Yaz can tell by the silence that follows Milly's remarks that if he's going to add anything to his friends' plans it had best be now. He gathers himself into a chair awkwardly, then lights up a Nemotzian tobacco smoke to help him sober up a bit:

"I got only a few things to say about this shit," he starts, talking mostly to the table in front of him. "One is, why you guys are worrying about light. You turn the lights on suddenly, the ratguys are blinded, you're not; you beat them up. Or, you leave it on all the time. If it's not moving, the skaven'll just think it's a light. Or that they're reaching the end of the tunnel. I don't see the problem. Dwarves use light all the time, don't they? I would... My nightsight's nice when I want to stay hidden, but it sucks compared to having a torch or some'm nearby."

Winnacer replies:

"While it would be nice to put a light on, it would cue the rats that something is up. Considering the entire population of Opava is supposed to be zombies at this point and they purposely tunneled into abandoned shafts, they would have to think something's up if we left a few torches burning. In their minds there should be nobody to light them, especially in the middle of nowhere."

Winnacer continues:

"And if we are to ambush them, we are going to have to sit in the dark for a number of hours being incredibly quiet. Without some light, we are all going to lose our focus. Such sensory deprivation techniques are used as torture in some parts of Bohavia. We can't just sit in the dark and expect to be able to keep our bearings or our composure."

"The next thing is this group of scouts idea," the druid continues. "Maybe I'm f***ed up on this, but we just gotta keep these things from getting into the city, right? We don't gotta kill them all. We ain't out to kill the whole f***in' race. We just gotta stop them. So why have anyone behind? Why not just get Winnacer to do his scary shit with the voice and the eyes and the hair and make them run away?"

Winnacer replies, slow and patiently:

"We don't know enough about the rats to think that just scaring them temporarily will matter. If we just needed to just stop them, we could collapse all of the tunnels and totally avoid a conflict. But more force is needed here."

"If we just halt them, it does not keep them from coming back later. Chasing them off may work in the short term, but it does not promise to keep them out of Opava after we leave. We also do not know under what motivating force they work. They are decidedly brutal, and I could imagine that their leaders may execute them for either cowardice or incompetence if they were to just run off."

"We need to destroy as much of them as we can, to ensure that the Skaven will not be strong enough to return. Just keeping them from the city is not enough."

"And another thing," Yaz continues. "If Maire's really gonna blast a bolt of lightning at them, there ain't no way in f*** I'm gonna be anywhere near that tunnel, let alone in back of them, behind a stone wall or not. That bolt touches even one of their flamethrower jobs and the whole lot of us will be looking forward to coming back as fungus in the next life."

"That shit explodes through stone walls, y'know," he adds with a raised finger towards Damene, as if she was truly interested.

Winnacer continues to respond with well-practiced patience, obviously used to Yaz's thinking:

"We need to have two fronts for this fight, Yaz. If we all gang up on one side, they can wipe us out with the same tactics we are using against them. By hitting them both directions, we ruin any focus they may have."

"And to be honest, it will be riskier for those up front. The flame cannons need a clear line of sight to be effective. They'll have to put them at the front of the ranks unless they want to cook their own troops. Those hiding in the walls should be quite far away from them, and quite safe."

"And another 'nuther thing," the druid adds. "Got any plans for the scout they'll have? Gonna take him out, or just hide and hope he doesn't see you? I think maybe you should have somebody ready to charm him or something when he comes through all alone."

"Faewen'il should be more than capable of handling that," the LawBringer replies. "If not, perhaps our illusionist can make it such that the scouts simply wander on without a clue. We are amply equipped to quietly eliminate a small group of rats if they were to present themselves. Perhaps our leather girdled ally can help in this area as well."

"So I say maybe you guys scare them off," continues Yaz, "then put up Maire's webs and maybe use a little fire and a little lightning, then a big illusion of a big crowd of angry dwarves and see if that doesn't make them go the f*** away."

Once again, Yaz pushes himself out of the chair and stumbles toward the door, dragging his sack with him:

"Lemme know what you decide so I can stay out of your way when the time comes. I'm goin' to bed."

With that, the druid departs. There is a pause for a moment and then Dax speaks once more:

"I'm fine with the role you've put for me. It IS your show, after all -- we're just here to help."

Dax nods contently, not seeming at all put off by Winnacer's rolling eyes or deep breaths, though he obviously noticed them, before he turns to Candy, Damene and Milly:

"Not sure about some of YOURS, though," he adds with deep concern in his voice, talking to his three companions now as if the four of them were the only ones in the room. "Have any of you ever used a bow?"

"If not, and you want to still try it, I can try to show you the basics," Dax continues soberly. "But better, I think, if you're not comfortable with it, to have out with it now so we can find something else for you to do. I won't see any of you sent to your death by a stranger who hangs you out to dry, by setting you to do things you can't when your lives depend on it."

"'Sides," Dax grins at them, trying to break the seriousness, "if you agree to do THOSE things that're strange to you, who knows what else you'll find yourselves doing?"

"Candy, unless you're careful, your part might end up that you have to go chaste or something," Dax says in mock horror, before another grin seeps onto his face.

"Chased yes. Chaste no," Candy smirks, her eyes gleaming.

Milly stifles a yawn.

"As I said, I'm not much of a scout, but I can make enough light for myself and a coupla' people around me."

"Now if these rats aren't comin' tomorrow, can we put off the rest of the plannin' session until the mornin'? I don't know about the rest of you folks, but Milly's pooped."

Milly's not the only one.

The four newcomers have had a long day following the ride from Litultovitze in the morning and even those that have spent the whole day in Opava find that the tactical debate has been exhausting.

Winnacer heads off to find the innkeeper and asks whether it will be possible for him to provide accommodation for Milly, Damene, Dax and Candy. The dwarf is only too pleased to oblige. With the accommodation issue solved, all head up to their beds and attempt to get a decent night's sleep in the small dwarf-sized beds.