The Red Tide [IC]

[BelGareth]

Chapter 1: Into the Maw

The night was just beginning to be pushed away by the sunset, still a long ways away, but to those on duty, it was a sign of needed relief; no one liked to be on night duty. Walking his circuit, the night duty scuffed his heels as he did, boredom having long set in he had resorted to mocking the drill movements and sang a silent cadence in his head.

He moved past the door for the Praecipua Operationes Team 1, he always peered inside if he could, but that was on the day shift, now he would see nothing, just the darkness of sleep, for which he yearned for so much.

He paused by the fire brazier next to the door and held his hands out, it wasn't too cold out, but it was still chilly, enough to make your fingers stiff with cold.

Sighing and about to take off for the rest of his route, he almost missed the speeding messenger boy, who ran past him and into the barracks. Calling out to the boy "Hey!" had no affect, and he shook his head thinking the boy would get a beating for going where he didn't belong at such an hour as this.

***

Dreams had taken hold, and not even a night of heavy drinking had any of you up past this hour, good thing too as the boy grabbed a metal pan on the wall and ran through the walkway in between the racks smacking it as hard as he could.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

You wake all of a sudden, to the vision of a grinning messenger boy, rushing past you in an attempt to avoid anything thrown at him, as was customary for such a job.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

The boy headed for the door at the end of the berthing area, having done his job and seeing the prospects of going unharmed dwindling with every moment. A shoe sails past his head and a bar of soap grazes his leg as he disappears through the hatch the metal pan dropped to the floor making a clang louder than the beating the boy had given it.

Grumbling, you all wake up and quickly checking the light outside you instantly realize that this is no usual reveille, you have been aroused for something more important, something you have been without for weeks:

A mission.

Hastily, you all don your attire, whether it be the simple garments of a monk, or the heavy armor of a destrier riding knight. Although several of you do not subscribe to the standard uniform of the royal armies, and several of you even skirt the shaving requirements, one thing binds you all together signifying your unit among the military, the red stripe lining of your clothes. However you incorporated it into your garb, it signifies one thing; your elite status.

Having dressed, you quickstep towards the briefing room, skipping the chow hall altogether, the braziers outside the hatch were ablaze, more evidence to the fact that something was about.

Entering you are received by two ornate guardians.

Flanking the interior hatch, you all instantly recognize the famous Warforged brothers, guardians to King Gareth himself and his constant shadows. This could only mean one thing, that the King was present for the briefing.

Things just got strange.

***

Entering through the hatch, between the silent stares of the Grim brothers, you move into the briefing room silently, filling around the sand table that had already been shaped into a mountainous area you seem to recognize but are unable to pin point. You see Grand Marshall Edwin and next to him, his Grace King Gareth, from the shadows opposite the door comes Marshall Francis, who coughs to gain the attention of the whole room.

"Good Morning, at 02 hundred hours the hourly report from the Lost Tower Outpost did not come in, as you are all aware..." he pauses for moment and looks towards the King nervously "...this happens quite frequently, and is nothing we are not able to handle. Where this gets strange, gentlemen" he nods towards the women in the room "and ladies, is when our Nightwatch cleric failed to scry on the tower." He waits for the hushes to fade and then continues "The scry attempt was done at 03 hundred hours, at which point in time there was still no answer." Looking at Grand Marshall he moves on again "It has been established that something has befallen the Lost Tower, your mission is to recon the area and locate and gather any and all Intel you can. At this point in time, we are blind, and we would rather not be. You will leave directly after any questions have been fielded." he points to the sand table, for which you now understand to be the Lost Tower "You will be inserted here by a Terrellian Corvette, who will remain in a circling pattern for approximately 2 hours to provide an emergency extraction, if, you stay longer than 2 hours, you are expected to find your own way back to HQ within 2 days."

He stops talking and stands a little straighter, putting his hands behind his back and looks at you all, "At this moment in time, we are unsure what is going on, you all, will be our eyes and ears. What questions do you have?"

[KingOfLaughter]

Derek enters first, though new to the unit he's accustomed to addressing higher ups, and immediately offers a respectful bow to the king, and steps to the side.

As he listens to Marshall Francis talk he studies the table and formulates himself a plan to dealing with the terrain it presents. When the Marshall finishes his briefing he turns toward him. "Sir, has the tower recently sent up any reports of hostile forces in the area, or of any suspicious individuals seen? Within the last month or so, just to be safe."

[bindin garoth]

Nexus enters in lazily, still waking up from that loud banging the messenger boy made. He had better hope he doesn't see him.........

Oh, its the king. 'Guess I'll make an exception for the boy this time' he thinks to himself. He takes a nearby seat and listens to the message. 'So things are finally starting, eh? Well, it's about time something happened, any longer and my sword skills would of become rusty!'

Not that this is anytime to be worrying about his skills. But he simply remains silent as the briefing is finished, not having any questions at this time. If it had been anyone else, he might of been a bit difficult and made a comment or two, but since it was the king, he figures it'd be best to keep his trap shut.

[Chambers]

Reya

Reya and Kae walked through the city streets, hand in hand as they glanced around at the food in the vendors stalls. The tastes and smells of the food in Kae's homeland were still new to her and it delighted him in finding new delicacies for her to try.

"Here, taste this one." Kae said and bought a cream filled pasty with sugared strawberry on top. "My mother used to make them on temple days."

Reya bit into the pasty and smiled at Kae. Somewhere in the city church bells were toiling. "It's sweet! Thank you love." She gave him a strawberry kiss on the cheek and turned to keep walking but Kae stood still, holding her hand tight. "What's wrong love?" She asked, raising her voice to be heard over the clanging of the church bells. "Why are they so loud!?"

Kae kissed her hand. "They are ringing for you." He said and tears of blood began to fall from his eyes.

Reya woke up.

Just a dream. A bad dream. That's all. She rubber the sleep from her eyes and conjured a small mist that gave her some privacy while she dressed. Nodding to her teammates she placed the only military insignia she wore - a silver sash with a red stripe on the top - over her shoulder and followed them into the brief room. She coughed and tried to smile. "So, what do you think is the prob-" She cuts herself off as she sees the King in the room.

She hurries a few steps into the room and offers a deep curtsie to him. "Your majesty." She says and listens to Marshall Francis speak of the troubles, her hands held together within the loose sleeves of her cloak so that the King couldn't see how tightly she held them. Don't mess up Reya! Don't say something stupid now. Need to impress him, may be your only hope. Reya looks over at the sandtable and tries to imagine what the Outpost would look like while flying above it.

[Lostbutseeking]

A chirp from Mitch, her hummingbird familiar and general nuisance, wakes Amelia before the messenger can even bang the alarm. The darkness reveals the hour of day. "Looks like something is up Mitch. Guess we will find what soon, gods what a racket."

Dressing hastily in riding clothes and a light mail shirt and then checks the barely palpable force of her abjuration from the day past and finds it still in effect. Pulling on a pair of boots and then quickly tieing her back into a rough ponytail she heads to the briefing room.

The guards outside tell her instantly who one of the members of this briefing will be which makes her quirk an eyebrow and murmur "Must be serious" to Mitch.

A curtesy and a "Your majesty" to the King, a nod to the rest and then she is listening to the briefing provided by Marshal Francis.


"I do have a question Marshal, you said the the cleric failed to scry on the tower. Was the scrying attempt blocked? Or did they fail to find the anchor stone and if so has anyone tried to scry the general area of the tower yet?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Rand snapped awake at the first sound of clanging pans; after many years camping in the field on missions and many years of upset soldiers trying to repay him for pranks, he's become a light sleeper. He gets up, stretches, and begins dressing. As he does so, he concentrates and calls every detail of the messenger's appearance that he caught to mind, then mentally recites to himself: Target #27: inconsiderate messenger boy woke me up half an hour early. Ideas: buzzing bees? extra caffeine? Another moment of concentration, and the image and message are permanently fixed in his mind until he chooses to forget it. Rand isn't the petty type, to prank people for minor slights, but he tries to ensure that when he does pull something it's appropriate to whatever his targets did to provoke him, since karmic justice always makes better stories after the fact...like when he overheard one private call him Colonel Elephant because he never forgot anything. Sculpting that elephant had taken him a good half-hour, but it was worth it in the end.

Suitably dressed, he ignores his mussed-up hair and the stubble on his chin--he only cleans up for inspection days, and it's not like the King is going to drop in or anything--and joins the others on their way to the briefing. At the sight of the guardians signifying that the King did, indeed, drop in, Rand sighs and drops back a few paces. He furrows his brow for a moment and a fancy wooden comb appears in one hand, and in the other hand appears a glossy wooden rectangle that should serve well enough as a mirror. He does his best to straighten up his hair and wishes he had time to shave, but that will have to do for now. He keeps the comb and ersatz mirror in his hands behind his back as he enters the room and bows to the King, hiding the implements until they pop out of existence.

He listens quietly through the briefing until Amelia asks her question. Nodding in agreement with her, he says, "If Derek is right and there are hostile forces of some sort in the area, it would be a lot easier for any invaders to just destroy the stone when they take the tower. If the tower was destroyed or the invaders have had time to set up anti-scrying wards, that makes the situation a lot more dangerous." Rand taps his chin in thought and adds, "Assuming the Tower was taken over, how subtle should we be with our recon? In the short term it would probably be better if they didn't know we knew about it, but it might be better in the long term if we could capture someone for questioning, kill some scouts, that sort of thing."

[JKTrickster]

Ziggs groaned and squeezed his pillow over his head as the messenger dashed around their beds. The sudden loud noise was like a hammer to his head and Ziggs grabbed the nearest thing he could get his little hands on and flung it straight at the boy. The bar of soap collided with the pan instead, creating a huge cacophony of noise.

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The nerve of that messenger boy! If he is going to try and wake me up, he should be doing it right! One pan? ONE pan? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I ONLY DESERVE ONE PAN!?!?!

Something must be wrong. Really wrong. Terribly-rust-monster-in-the-armory wrong. There is no way they would wake me up this early if they could help it. Something is wrong. So wrong. Maybe the kitchen caught on fire, and all my oranges exploded. Or maybe the Queen got pregnant, and the King isn't the father! Or maybe some faraway fort, manned by a bunch of belligerent drunks, got attacked and we have no idea what happened.

Nah......

You know, I don't think everyone is awake yet. I think we should do something to wake them up! Let's throw Derek's bar of soap...I'm so glad I swiped it from his this morning!

Getting up last, Ziggs begrudgingly started to get dressed. Like many of the others, Ziggs basically threw on what was the most convenient at the time. Except for Ziggs, that was always included his trademark coat. It was black and slightly heavy, with red stripes going down both sides. He dressed quickly and efficiently, like he was in a hurry. Taking out a small basin, he managed to wash his face with some water before the others rushed him. Just before he turned around, Ziggs kicked the table and knocked over an orange. Bending quickly, he caught it before it fell onto the floor.

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Stupid messenger boy. Stole my pan and now I have to wash my face out of this basin? Can you believe that? THIS basin. THIS one. I cannot even comprehend what that messenger boy is thinking. He must really be off his marbles. Or on his marbles, tripped on them, and collided with my pan. Otherwise, I just don't see how he would have taken it. I can't eve-

Actually.......whoa. Whoa. Whooooaa. I kind of like this.

I should use this basin more often!

Hmm Mmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Mmm Hmm Mmm Hmm Hmm~~~~

Gotta wash up gotta wash up gotta wash up. I bet the pregnant Queen is there and the King ain't happy. Either that or the whole congregation and the husband and the wives and all of their cats. Either way, gotta look presentable, and nice, and all flashy with my little red stripes.

Ooooh I just love those red stripes! I can't wait to go out and see what's happening! I bet its a mission. I super secret, ultra dangerous, mighty fun mission!

Better grab an orange. I'll get hungry on the way there. And that would be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

Oops. Hehe.

Walking out, he already had his trademark grin. It was like every morning he only needed that one small ritual to start his day. Juggling the orange in his hand, his joyful demeanor didn't lessen at all when he saw the King's guards.

As he walked in, he stepped forward and bowed to the King. "Your majesty," he said with a polite smile. Stepping back, he seemed only interested in the piece of fruit in his hand, content to let the others ask questions all they wanted.

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I was RIGHT! But where are the cats?

I was RIGHT! I JUST CANT WAA-

I love it when I'm right!

[BelGareth]

King Gareth silently nods at each of you when you bow to him, he seems passive and nonplussed during the whole briefing and you find it almost impossible to read him at all.

Marshall Francis looks to those asking the questions and seems to be pleased with them, as if he wasn't expecting any and he was going to have an awkward conversation with the Grand Marshal as to why his elite team didn't care about the mission when it was obviously important. But that wasn't an issue.

Turning to Derek he answers him first "No, no hostiles have been seen or heard of from anyone, the burning wastes to the east of the tower have been as quiet as they have been for years, no enemies in sight."

The Marshal smiles swanly at Nexus's comment but says nothing about it, looking, instead to the next questioner;Amelia.

Smiling genuinely at the insightful question, he responds in kind "No, the attempt failed, we are not sure if it was blocked or something else is affecting it. The general area around the tower was also attempted, with the same affect."

When Rand starts talking about engagement, he can't but help to let out a chuckle, holding up a hand to stay the rest of the comment he answers the man "Yes, your rules of engagement are 'do not engage unless engaged'. Now I know you don't like that, but there's a reason why we have, them, a reason why we follow orders and a reason why this all works. Look, I understand, but this is strictly a recon mission, get in, get out."

He looks to the rest of you, those who stayed quiet, and gives you a knowing smile, as if 'this isn't exactly what it seems' and he seems to find comfort in something, perhaps in knowing they are sending you? Who knows...

Continuing he speaks one more time "Very well then, I will have to ask that any more questions be fielded to my Adjutant, Captain Gregoire will be leading you to your bird, who is warming up her engines as we speak. Good day, and good luck!"

With that, the small but stout Captain emerges from the shadows behind the Marshal and gestures the team to leave through the same way they entered. Once outside, he looks at you all, hands behind his back as if he is better than every last one of you. "Well, what questions do you have left? We have only a few moments to gather your weapons and gear before the Andromus is ready to leave." he says curtly, he was an interesting office, he thought he was better than everyone else, regardless of rank due to his billet of Marshal's Adjutant. Your team had always given him flak, and he...hated you all. A fact you can see in his stance and tone now.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Smiley! Good to see you again! I haven't seen you since the last time!" Rand smiles broadly at the sight of Gregoire. He's been hated by better man than the Captain, and his reaction to being disapproved-of by self-important dunderheads who have a higher-than-warranted opinion of themselves has always been to just keep smiling and stay cheerful even if it antagonizes them--no, especially if it antagonizes them--in the hopes of getting them to loosen up. He hasn't been court-martialed or had anything result in violence yet, so he must be doing something right.

In response to Gregoire's statement, Rand pats his backpack. "No more questions, and everything I need is right here. I'm five by five and ready to embark."

[KingOfLaughter]

Derek walked back out, grabbing his gear from his sleeping quarters and returning to the Captain. As he preps his gear he turns to the captain, "Hey, Cap', I don't suppose doing a flyover, and airdrop is allowed?"

[Lostbutseeking]

Amelia packs her pack and dons her air cavalry overalls swiftly, finally slinging the five foot length of her sword across her shoulder before she heads back to the marshals aid.

All the While her features are marred by a pensive look as she considers the potential magical force at the target, to hide a person from detection is all well and good, but to block area viewing of a significant area?

Her mood is banished soon enough when she reaches the aid to find him being needled and politely mocked by Rand whose efforts soon have her fighting a losing battle against a wide grin. Mitch decides to help matters along by relieving himself on the taciturn captains arm before settling into a padded pocket in her pack.
"Well I'm ready to board. And so is Mitch." Adding the second comment in a determindly cheerful voice.

[Chambers]

Reya

The precision and bearing of her teammates always impressed Reya...and left her a little intimidated. Flying in the sky, weathering a storm, that was where she was confident and sure of herself. At least I'll get to fly tonight. Reya followed the others and held her simple staff in both hands. "I'm ready Captain, no other gear to...er, requisition?" The statement turned into awkward question and she quickly looked away.

"Once we arrive I can fly around, see if anyone is still there. Maybe they're performing a ritual to prevent the scrying."

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Here's a brief rundown of what spells Reya can cast to buff the party.

Mass Conviction / +4 morale bonus saving throws (110 minutes)
Mass Resist Energy / Resist [Element] 30 (110 minutes)
Mass Resurgence / All allies gain a second saving throw versus an ongoing spell, spell-like ability or supernatural ability (Instantaneous)

Bless / All allies gain +1 morale bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws vs Fear (11 minutes)
Recitation / All allies gain +2 luck bonus to Armor Class, Attacks Rolls, Saving Throws (11 rounds)
Spell Resistance / One target gains Spell Resistance 23 (11 minutes)

Imbue With Spell Ability / Reya can grant someone the ability to cast Cure Moderate Wounds, Lesser Vigor, and Remove Fear, once each. Is there anyone that would like to receive this? I'm thinking that it would probably be the same person each time, someone designated as a back-up emergency healer for the team.

Also - Summon Monster VI - to summon a Large Air Elemental. There's an asterisk next to the spell in the Storm domain list but it never explains what the asterisk is for. I'm assuming that it's to limit the type of creature summoned to something appropriate to Storms, thus Air Elementals. Unless it means Celestial Orca Whale, of course.

[bindin garoth]

Nexus casually walks up with the rest of the group, his yawning indicating he still wants more sleep. Rand's comment, however, does provoke a small grin out of him, although he decides not to provoke Gregoire further.

"Ready." Is all that comes out of Nexus's mouth.

[JKTrickster]

Ziggs only laughed as he raced the others back to his room. Gathering all of his stuff, he haphazardly started throwing everything into a big bag before tying it to his back. It almost looked comical; the bag bulged out and was almost as big and wide as the halfling. Still Ziggs didn't slow down at all, and suddenly a small ball rolled out from his bag.

Everyone held their breath as it casually rolled underneath Rand's feet and right in front of Marshall. Everyone held their breath, looking at the small ball and wondering i-

"BOOM!" he yelled with laughter as he quickly scooped the harmless object back up. "Ahh sorry those things are always so loose! I really need to keep a better eye on them! Can't just let everything get out!"

Quickly bowing to the King, he stepped back behind the other teammates, still with his trademark grin on his face.

[BelGareth]

Captain Gregoire kept on a stoic face the whole time talking to you all, it was obvious he could barely stand it.

He deigned not to reply to most retorts, merely curling his lips and sneering at the jests. Until he was urinated on, at which moment he attempted to swat the bird as it zoomed off, flying as it was in zips and zooms, he only managed to make himself look more the fool. To everyone's amusement.

Stopping himself, he stood and straightened his jacket, "We are leaving" he said, as if he had had enough of you all.

Without the fiery ring

Taking off he marched directly for the Air wing, the portion of the Camp where the Airships were located. It was a brief fast paced walk/jog and you were on the small, unlit runway, where you could hear, but no see the whir of the Terrellian Corvette. Gregoire spoke into his collar and a hatch popped open with a hiss and steam billowed out like a small cloud taking flight. Red light spilled onto the runway, outlining the small frame of the ship and its spartan shape. Inside you could see the cramped quarters bathed in the red light tactical light. As one you all lined up and boarded the ship, sitting uncomfortably in the little fabric fold up seats that were extremely close to each other.

Gregoire looked to you all, and suddenly turned somber. He said something, but below the immense whir of the engines you could barely make out what he said from reading his lips: "Good luck". The most earnest thing you have seen the man say. Ever.

The hatch comes up from the ground slowly, pinching in the red light of the cabin and shutting with a loud 'Shhoooooosh'. The red light blinked, flashing slowly and then stopped, dumping the room into blackness.

Moments later you feel the weightlessness of take off, and then the forward momentum of your stomach fighting the abuse of elevation and g forces. You quickly get used to it and settle in for the ride.

Roughly 2 hours later, the light suddenly starts to flash signaling the drop zone was near. Lanyards drop from the ceiling above everyone, allowing you to attach it to your gear. Holding onto the lanyard, you patiently wait for the crew member to come down from the cockpit.

A few moments later the light stopped flashing, which took way longer than it should have (or at least it felt that way)and someone came down and gave the signal for everyone to stand, raising his hand, palm upward, then with both arms he signaled to the door. It was time.

The Door slowly opened with the same ponderously slow movement as before, the red light filling the area, wind whipped into the room with a savage abandon. With the door finally lowered the whole way, you all stand and shuffle to the opening, the door had, instead of dropping to the floor like a ramp, had instead folded all the way to the belly of the craft, leaving the jump space free of obstacles.

Another Light shone with life, amber like the color of honey, you knew as soon as it flashed it was your turn to jump. Holding onto the lanyard, you wait your turn, and then jump into the darkness of the night, the lanyard popping it's lock and activating the enchantment therein, allowing you to safely drop to the ground below.

You land in a shallow field, a few trees here and there, on a shelf of the mountain. In the distance you can see the tower, its outline stark in contrast with the half moon behind it.

It is about 3 miles off. You can see no light sources or movement from here. Only the swaying of the trees in the mountain breeze.

[Chambers]

Reya

Reya glanced at the lanyard with a smile and pushed it away. She tapped her staff on the floor in some off-rhythm pattern, clearly more at ease than she had been earlier. She shuffled along the path and nodded to the crew as she approached the door. "Stay safe!" She shouted against the wind and then jumped out into the wind. Her robe fluttered wildly against her as she dropped like a stone out of the aircraft but moments later the robe turned into a pair of hawks wings that beat strong and carried her aloft in the air.

The hawk continued to dive down fast and then pulled up, spiraling up above the clearing. It paused and settled into a smooth flight towards the Tower and then turned and fled back down to the ground, the hawk turning back into Reya as her feet touched the ground. Her face was flushed and there was a wild look in her eyes that matched her tousled hair. "It's there, over the trees. Bountiful lady, please protect us." She says as she picks up a few fallen leaves and blows on them, the wind currents taking them away further into the sky.

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Casting Mass Conviction and Bless.

Mass Conviction / +4 morale bonus saving throws (110 minutes)
Bless / All allies gain +1 morale bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws vs Fear (11 minutes)

[KingOfLaughter]

Feeling the rush of wind Derek smiles, he feels only comfort and peace from the wind, knowing it's truthful thoughts, and feeling it's ever encompassing presence. He knows it holds itself his ally, his weapon, and another form of himself. As the light flashes and it becomes his turn to jump he steps out of the cabin, feeling the rush of wind he calms, spinning himself so he faces the sky and for a second ponders the beauty of it all, but then he shifts, becoming a whispering mass of air, held by magic and will and fires himself toward the ground, stopping just above it, and changing back to his human form before being noticed. Despite the abilities accepted in the unit, he's still not sure they would accept him for what he fully is.

After he returns to human form he rushes to the group, quietly meeting them and readying to explore the tower.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Rand took the opportunity to enjoy the trip, making smalltalk and cracking jokes to put everyone at ease. He doubted they needed it, being veterans of many such missions, but he was used to pep-talking his subordinates and he wanted to get to know the other operatives better before the mission, and in any case it'd gotten to be a ritual by now.

When the kalashtar lands, his ever-present grin gives way to a serious expression as he puts on his "officer in charge" face. "Thank you for the blessing, Reya. Remember, everyone, from this point on it's silent running except for verbal components, and keep light to a minimum. Gather 'round, I'm connecting us now." He nods his head sharply and a moment later everyone hears his voice in their heads: <If you can hear me, nod once. The link will last for a while, and it works at any distance so don't worry about getting out of range. Remember to give us a warning if you're about to put up wards against mental effects, since that can cut you out of the link.>

Rand's gaze sweeps the surrounding area as he takes a moment to plan things out. <All right, Ziggs, Nexus, you're the sneaky ones, why don't you two take point. Keep a good space between you, try to make sure you can outflank any scouts we might run into. Keep an eye out for any traps or obstacles and be ready to take out any scouts--but do not, I repeat do not, attack anyone or anything without warning us first and getting permission. Like the Marshal said, no engagement unless engaged. Ziggs, that goes triple for you.> He gives the insane demolisher a look of warning and motions them both ahead, turning to his remaining three compatriots.

<Reya, Derek, you're our eyes in the sky. Keep your heads down, stay back near me under the tree cover, and be ready to move up and support our scouts if they run into any trouble. Reya, I believe you mentioned on the way here something about imbuing one of us with healing power? I'll handle that, if you don't mind. Amelia, you're on scanning and stealth. Ward us with anything you think will help conceal our approach or speed us up, please, and keep an eye out for any wards or traps.> He looks around at everyone, making eye contact with each in sequence, and finally smiles again. <Remember, people, we're the best of the best, and I trust you all to know what you're doing even if we haven't really worked together before. I'm not a stick-in-the-mud kind of guy, all "orders" are negotiable, and don't you dare call me "sir"! Unless you have any questions or quibbles, let's move out.>

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Rand manifests one use of his mindlink psi-like ability. We're linked at unlimited range for just under two hours.

[Chambers]

Reya

Reya nods to Rand. << I hear you, though normally I am the only voice in my head. >> She smiles and pulls a small brown feather from within her cloak. << Wear this next to your heart and the Mistress of Enchantment will share her blessings with you. >> She looks at Derek and half-closes her eyes, trying to see the elemental, not the human. << Such a marvelous blessing, to truly be the wind. Isis does not teach envy...but I often wonder what it would be like to fly as the air, instead of along it. >> She shakes her head as if clearing her thoughts.

<< Perhaps later we could discuss it further? >> She thinks and wraps her cloak tight around her as it transforms into a hawk, hovering at eye level. << Your power is useful, Captain Rand. It's hard enough to pray while flying, much less talk. >>

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Cast Imbue with Spell Ability on Rand then Form of Hawk!
Imbue with Spell Ability: Cure Moderate Wounds, Lesser Vigor, and Remove Fear.

Hawk Stats: AC 34, Fort +13, Reflex +14, Will +15.
Spot +17, Darkvision 60ft
Speed: 60ft (good)

[KingOfLaughter]

Derek chuckles as the man inside his head speaks, recalling the first time such things had happened, though not exactly a pleasant memory, it was the bringer of the times he had afterwords, both pleasant and harsh.

Derek springs upward, disappearing in apparent smoke which clears itself out almost immediately. "I'll go unseen but keep us safe Cap, as for you Reya we can speak later, we should have a slight down time after this, at least enough for a meal." Dereks 'voice' sounds quite different, though easily understood, and heard, it sounds as though whispered, and hidden. He floats forty feet above Rand, just to the left and behind.

[bindin garoth]

Nexus enjoys the smalltalk with Rand on the way over. It was too often that soldiers stayed quite on trips like this, and it was nice to break the silence. He wasn't too sure of what to make of the others yet. Oh well, he'll get chances to learn about the others later. But he does think highly of Rand currently, just for taking a stand up and trying to relax the other.

Nexus simply jumps out with the others, although their abilities do surprise him a little. 'This should be interesting.' The man thinks to himself. He simply uses the lanyard and jumps out gracefully.

After the bond is established, which Nexus greatly appreciates, he listens at first. It sounds like a good plan, but one thing he's unsure about. <<It might be a good idea for me and Ziggs to stay closer together. We can cover each other should either of us get into trouble. Furthermore, I'm quite skilled at illusions, and can use them to hinder the enemy while we escape, should we encounter any. Plus I can create darkness at will, and it travels with me. Permission to use my illusions should we encounter the enemies?>>

[PairO'Dice Lost]

<Thank you for the feather, and you're welcome for the bond. Pleasure doing business with you,> Rand sends to Reya. To Nexus, he clarifies, <Oh, I didn't mean go off in two different directions. Just keep, say, five or six paces between you, enough so that you're not blocking each others' lines of sight and so if anyone comes across you suddenly you won't both be within easy reach.> The hint of a rueful grin enters his mental "voice." <I'll try to be clearer next time. Not quite used to the new crew yet.>

<As for illusions,> he continues, <permission granted, but try to make them as unobtrusive as possible. If you have a choice between making a false deer to distract someone or making a false tree to hide in, go with the tree. And keep in mind that they might have people at the tower who can see through magical darkness, or at least can notice a clump of darkness moving in the distance, so be careful with that. Otherwise, you're the illusions expert, do what you think best.>

[JKTrickster]

Throughout the whole trip, Ziggs rocked back and forth, completely undisturbed by the early morning hours or the slightly uncomfortable ride. Instead he began to take out small spherical balls and he would giggle each time he saw them. More than once he would hover obsessively over them, using and etching an arcane design here and there, or completely wiping one off and remaking it anew. Despite the strong g-force, Ziggs' hands seem impossibly calm and steady, and he didn't drop a single ball at all. Each time he was finished with one he would carefully place it back in and take another one out. That, or he would occasionally juggle two of them, much to the fright of the pilots who were only a couple of feet away from him.

When they had finally arrived, the pilots hurriedly, but politely, asked Ziggs to go first. Only smiling, he dropped like an anchor, snapping the lanyard and dropping safely below. To his disappointment, he was not the first one there. Smiling as even more voices entered his head, he started passing out oranges to everyone.

<<Look oranges! They're so fun, and orange-y and healthy! It's so cooooold out here and it would be bad if everyone was caught unprepared, wouldn't it?">>

<<Now aside from being healthy, I've found oranges are great for getting me out of a pinch! Whenever you need to, just call my name and I promise you won't regret it!>>

Turning to their almighty commander, Ziggs only grinned and did a full salute. <<Aahhhh yep you called it Cap! Let's go Nexus! We have towers to go, scouts to meet, and things to blow up!!!!>>

Almost on the verge of laughing, he started to move as fast as his little legs could move him. Surprisingly, even with the big bag, he was already blending into the shadows around him. You would wonder how he doesn't trip in the complete darkness, with that eye-patch and all.

So on the trip, I decided to use those 2 hours of downtime to make some nice runes.

I'll fill in the details later.

[bindin garoth]

Nexus was caught completely off guard by Zigg's personality. <<Yes sir.>> He simply replies, trying to make sure he keeps up with Ziggs. He's moreso distracted by the sphere passed out by Ziggs. Is it an explosive? A smoke screen? He wasn't quite sure he trusted the man's......... thing, for a lack of a better word. He'd wait and see someone else use it first. Instead, he simply rolls it around in his hand while they run, a tactic he often uses to keep his mind from over-analyzing.

<<Ziggs, what can you do should we be found? Aside from blowing things up, which I'm not so sure is a good idea.>> But then with a grin on his face. <<Then again, explosions are fun, aren't they Ziggs?>>

[JKTrickster]

<<Why I can do everything!>> he said, full of laughter in his mind-voice. He was practically skipping right now, but he still kept about even with Nexus, staying about 30 ft to the right of him. It was odd how quickly Ziggs could move through the darkness - it literally seemed to warp around him, obscuring him from sight. As they got closer, Ziggs only seemed to get more and more excited.

Hearing Nexus mention explosives, Ziggs stared at him dead serious. <<Explosives are serious business,>> he said calmly, without any more laughter in his voice. <<No play with explosives you hear that? Serious, serious business.>> The little halfling just kept on walking though, and it wasn't obvious if he was mad or anything.

Suddenly, he started laughing again and the tensions were gone. <<Oh don't worry, none of you will blow up. I promise!>>

[Lostbutseeking]

Taking the jump with every sign of enjoyment Amelia lands gracefully and immediately summons up the trademark phantom steed of her order and mounts up.

Listening to the Colonel's orders Amelia nods, <<I understand Colonel>> pulls her goggles down over her eyes and murmurs softly until the goggles start glowing blue.

A few seconds, a second spell, a moment to take and very carefully pocket Ziggs latest toy and she rides off scanning for any active magic or concealed targets.

Spoiler

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Phantom steed CL: 14 from class feature. so it can fly.
Sacraficing Ray of Exhaustion to cast Arcane sight - 11 minute duration.
Sacraficing Mirror image to cast See invisbility 110 minute duration.

[bindin garoth]

Nexus grins, finding the uniqueness of Ziggs personality refreshing. He was caught off guard by his explosions comment, but he realizes It was probably an art to him, or at least work he took very seriously. It, in combination with his personality, tells him this is a guy he can probably trust.

<<Permission to enter should there be an opening or no guards? Also, how far back are you guys going to stay?>>

[PairO'Dice Lost]

<If you don't see anyone around, go right ahead. As to positioning, well, we'll want to stay close together to support each other but not so close that two or three of us could get caught by a trap or ambush...or an explosion> he adds sardonically with a glance at Ziggs.

<I'll probably be staying a good 50 feet back or so from the thick of things. I'm not very good at hand-to-hand combat, so I usually have a friend of mine handle my fisticuffs for me.>

[bindin garoth]

Nexus continues to run forth with Ziggs, staying ahead of the rest of the group. But of course, he keeps his eyes out for the enemy, who knows how far they had spread from the outpost? He does seem lost in his thoughts, however, as they continue forth.

This has the unfortunate consequence of him almost running into a tree. At the last second, he shuffles off to the side, tripping over a rather large, old tree root sticking above the ground.

"Great, first job in a while and I'm already making a mistake." He mutters to noone in particular, before picking himself back up and continuing their run.

As they get closer, into viewing range of the outpost, he starts to slow down, silencing his foot steps. He also darts from spot to spot, trying to always keep cover should there be anyone up there.

Spoiler

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Spot: (1d20+10)[12]
Hide: (1d20+15)[35]
Move Silently: (1d20+10)[15]

[Chambers]

Reya

<<Thank you Ziggs, but I have no hands to hold it.>> She thinks to Ziggs as she flaps her wings and flies higher into the night sky. Keeping track of Rand beneath the canopy was no problem at all; he moved like a human in the woods at dark, after all. Staying just above the tree line, skimming the tops and keeping an eye out for any careless mice Reya matched their pace below.

Spoiler

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Spot check (1d20+17)[30]