Silver and Crystal: Against the Night

[Snowfire]

It has been two weeks since the Scream. Since a huge part of the universe you knew collapsed in seven seconds of mind searing pain and utter loss. Less than a day later, following the message from Amber that two of her Silver Pentacles had been released to try and find out what must have happened at the Gate, all interplanar forms of travel and communication died. Links to the other Pentacles sliced off, some in mid-sentence. All that remained was your link to each other and those on your world. The immediate reaction was to send Adamant out and have the Lightship jump into the Between. That failed, to the great shock of her entire crew and especially her captain, Mari Branca. Swiftly returning Adamant to her place in orbit around Celtha, you looked to other means of trying to work out what was coming.

You got about as far as the gates of the Enclave before every single expert in Diviniation on the plant teleported in with exactly the same message. “The Neverwere are free. Prepare.” There really wasn’t much else to do after that point but what they said. Ancient agreements were invoked, the planetary government ratifying a state of absolute war against the Neverwere shortly following your request. Some complained about the activation of the treaty, but most knew better. In these matters the Pentacles knew best. Centuries of experience had shown that. Celthan magi-industrial complexes ground into high gear, the artificers running them pushing their abilities beyond limit in an attempt to produce enough wands and other such gear to ensure that the protectors of their world were the best that had ever been equipped – even as still more sought to ensure that the population of the world, numbering in millions, were provided with means for safety. Adventuring teams, local military, militia, everyone, all united in a desperate effort to ensure that – when the Neverwere came – they would be as ready as it was possible to be.

The ancient warring nations were swiftly overrun in a series of lightning fast assaults carried out by the planetary government’s military. Adamant provided overwatch for the attacks, picking off demons and other such terrors with impunity from high above. You didn’t like doing it, but against something of this sheer scale the entire planet had to be ready. Not most of it, not even almost all of it. All of it. A single chink in the defences and the whole planet might pay the price. So you do what you must. And it is not long before the warnings of the Diviners are borne out by truth. Powerful magics designed to detect incursions of Neverwere into Celtha – the same as those in all realities where there is a Pentacle presence – trigger twelve days later. And now you stand on the edge of a precipice. The Neverwere are coming, swarms of Nameless pouring into the reality that holds Celtha and heading straight for her, the bastion of the Pentacles here. So far it seems like only Nameless are involved in this attack – but that would make sense. Most Named are likely tied up on assaults against either Amber or the Radiant Worlds. As a Rising World, Celtha doesn’t really warrant that sort of attention.

You’ve gathered in the Enclave in Eilize, the planetary capital, to put final plans in place before you confront the Nameless tide bearing down upon the world you were tasked to protect. Celtha has been busy the last two weeks, putting in place all that it can, and you will not be alone above Celtha when you face the swarm. Adamant shall be beside you, as you expected, as shall the other Pentacles on Celtha. But there is something more as well, borne of desperate attempts by the artificers of the world. Something that may, with your abilities, be just enough to hold back the tide. The first sets of Lightforged armour ever made on Celtha, enough to equip a few hundred of the planet’s best to stand beside you in the void above when the time comes.
They have given their all over the last weeks, more than you might have thought possible. And tonight, their work – and your power – will be put to the ultimate test.

The room you have gathered in is cool and quiet other than your own words, lying at the heart of the Enclave. A picture of Celtha spins in the air at the centre of the room, tiny icons spread across its surface to represent cities, military response forces, industrial complexes, everything. For now it is only the five of you – the other Pentacles spread out across the world at present ensuring that the last few pieces of the frantically constructed defences are finished. So you have peace – for the first time in days – but not to do what you might wish. Adamant circles the globe before you, the vessel of golden light shining like a second – albeit strangely shaped – sun. And far off behind the world, the black tides of the Nameless swarm inch ever closer across the vastness of space.

Six hours. At the absolute most. And you can only pray that the Pentacles of other Rising worlds have managed to prepare even a fraction as well as you have.

[kestrel404]

Chaitali "Wildfire" Mrapen, the most junior member of the pentacle, paces on one side of the conference room. Her movements are dance-like and fluid, but very clearly agitated. Every few minutes she pauses and looks skyward before resuming her motion, as though verifying that the sky is still there.

"Let's go over this again. What do we know about their forward elements? Formations, defenses, weak points? I still want to do a recon by force..." The last part is said quietly, but with no real effort behind it, like an argument long since lost.

[Danakir]

Muria zu Latonesh is standing right next to the holographic display of Celtha, the smoldering embers of her gaze fixated upon the sight. It shines against her eyes, her expression one of quiet determination and restrained emotional turmoil. Given their current circumstances, there's something to be said for her choice to remain in full battle regalia.

She lowers her eyes toward her open hands "We don't know enough, that's plain to see. But what can we do about it? There's no way any scout could really hope to avoid detection by the swarm, at least not enough to collect any more meaningful information. Like a shapeless legion of only one mind... we can't scare or demoralize them into submission." she grits her teeth.

"This is a different kind of war entirely. The best we can do is hit them hard and hit them early, focus on the priority targets and cut off their leadership so the rest of the mindless monsters end up thrashing impotently." she clenches her fist.

"Least, that's the theory. I really don't know, I'm out of bright ideas. We just can't let them land on the planet or else..." she closes her eyes and exhales sharply. She then turns to face all the others, as if expectant to hear what they have to say on the matter.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Eranil studied the holographic image for several moments, and then said, "I believe capture of at least one of the leaders would be a wise tactic. More than one, if we can manage it, would be ideal." His voice was calm and measured, underscoring the quiet confidence of his words. And why not? An artificer of sorts himself, he had been heavily involved with the preparations, and had no doubts about the force they would be bringing to bear.

So he allowed himself to have full confidence in their coming victory. What concerned him most was afterwards. They needed to know what was going on, reestablish contact with other planes, and above all, learn how Amber fared. To do that, they would need information. A decent-ranking enemy or three to interrogate would be a strong bet.

"In terms of immediate tactics, neutralizing leadership does seem to be our best option. Locating them among the horde is likely the trickiest part. Perhaps, engage an enemy unit, see if we can't compel one of their minds, use that to learn the location of the leaders, teleport in under the cover of invisibility and silence, neutralize or compromise the target, continue from there?"

[GFawkes]

"I agree with Muria. We can't let them land. We need to take them out in orbit." Evelynn says, leaning forward in her chair.

Perhaps Eranil was on the right track: remove the head, and the body withers. Though if these creatures are anything resembling intelligent, the leaders will be heavily guarded. We should try to lure the leaders out, make them fight on ground we define.

[kestrel404]

"The only thing that's going to lure one of those things out is bait. And they're not out to capture, only destroy. We're gonna have to locate the wraith swarms and blast them apart until we find the shrikes inside, unless we can find something they want in one piece more than they want it destroyed. And as far as taking one alive and questioning it, I'm open to ideas, but it sounds pretty dangerous."

Chaitali continues her pacing as she talks.

[Danakir]

"There's another way. Actually, I'm pretty sure Evelynn over there can do it just the same as me." she brings a hand to her chin thoughtfully "I can feel them, sense the wickedness and corruption in their hollow hearts. With a little concentration, I could probably pinpoint their location pretty accurately. Then we'd just have to launch a strike to the right points." she blows some hair out of her face, illusory heat rising silently from her athletic frame.

"We're not going to accomplish much striking on our own. There's just too many of them for us to handle without support from our allies, much as I hate to admit it." her expression is one of annoyance.

"Our best chance is to strike hard while the rest of the Neverwere force is trying to breach the defenses. In that regard, mobility is probably the highest priority so we can distribute the Pentacle forces judiciously." she gives Eranil a sidelong stare and tilts her head somewhat dismissively.

"If we can capture one for information, that's great. But our highest priority right now should be to make certain we survive the first wave. Then we can think about going on the offensive. Otherwise, there's just no point." as always, she's brutally blunt about her opinion.

[Kasmania]

Raika stirs from her seat, lowering Alyssa to the floor from her lap. Her dragon wyrmling seems to have mostly calmed down now after some significant reassuring from from her master, and is now sitting on the floor, though still nervously exhaling sparks every so often. It appears as though the tense atmosphere of the room was affecting her pretty badly.

Moving towards the holographic image of Celtha slowly rotating in midair, Raika pauses, as if considering the daunting task at hand, and just how desperate the situation looked. She states in a quiet tone: "No, Muria is right. The highest priority is to ensure that none of the Neverwere forces can reach Celtha's surface. I'm certain our defenses can handle just the wraiths and nameless, but the Shrikes..." She glances briefly at Chaitali pacing around the room.

"Chaitali has an idea there. The Shrikes will be attacking in full force, but if we mount a strong enough defense, we may be able to bait them to come to us. Should we begin to pose a powerful enough threat to the invasion, their attention will be drawn to us, and away from Celtha." She looks back at the slowly rotating image of Celtha. "That may be our best chance to capture a Shrike, but if not, defeating any that come for us will certainly help our chances."

[Danakir]

"It'd be ideal if we could provoke them into coming to us. Still, I can't say that sounds too likely. If we can break the back of their assault while the foot soldiers are focusing their attention on our allies, then we can keep the risk to our friends to a minimum." she suggests firmly, clenching her fist determinedly, her sharp fiery gaze turning back to the floating display.

"We'll have to be proactive. It's our place and opportunity to take that risk..." she turns around and walks away from the center of the room, her eyes focusing down at her own shadow.

"Simple plans are the best ones. With their location known to us, we can go commando once the battle is joined and teleport on top of the Shrikes. The other Pentacles can hopefully force similar confrontations with the rest of their leadership." she looks over her shoulder, grinning confidently "I think we can pull that off."

[kestrel404]

Chaitali's pacing stops and she faces the others with a serious expression. "Plans are all well and good for the first one we face, but there are going to be a bunch of these things, they're smart and we've got to assume that whatever we use on the first one isn't going to work on the second one. If our evil detection has enough range to pick one shrike out of the crowd - and by the way, I can do that too as long as I have the Bitter Angel bound to me, which I do - then we can probably ambush that one. Maybe even one per pentacle, since we can probably get scrolls of detect evil out to the groups that don't have enough paladins. But it's not going to work a second time - the Shrikes will start moving constantly and in random patterns, and we'll just be jumping blind into the middle of a swarm of wraiths."

Chaitali takes a breath. As she talks she appears to get calmer and more focused - the activity of planning giving her something to focus on other than her worries.

"Second problem - after we teleport in, we're going to be sitting ducks against a swarm of wraiths and a shrike. They'll get a free shot at us, and it's pretty unlikely we'll all survive that. Maybe if we go in buffed to the hilt, but it's gonna be a rough thing. We need an equalizer - something to keep the wraiths at bay or better, destroy them on arrival, so that we're not constantly dog-piled while trying to take out the shrike."

Chaitali frowns and bites her lip. "Third problem, we're probably going to have to give up on the shrike-capture unless one of you has a really good plan for that, because from everything I know there's no good way of putting them out of commission without killing them. Does anybody here think that they're stopped from dimensional travel the same as us? Because I've got something like a portable hole in my inventory, except big enough to bag the shrike, and I could catch him with it like a giant butterfly net, then close it - if he can't plane shift out of it, there's no there's no other way to get out of the pocket dimension..."

That last bit sounds VERY unsure, since the plan is kind of dodgy in Chaitali's mind.

Re-focusing on the present, she goes back to speaking confidently. "What we need is ideas. Tactics, solutions, but mostly ideas on how to get close to the shrikes so we can take them out."

[Danakir]

"Sounds like you've got a pretty big misunderstanding how the theory behind translight teleportation operates." Muria comments to Chaitali, waving her hand in front of herself as if to reject her arguments "Even if they move around rapidly and randomly, that won't stop us from tracking them down. And although it might take us some time to prepare ourselves for translocation, it's still going to be a mostly instantaneous process. We can pinpoint the location right as we change location so that wouldn't help them in the least. Worst case scenario, they'll be waiting for us, but that's probably already true. They're not stupid, they know our best chance to break the first wave is to target them." she explains insistently, stubborn as ever about her thoughts.

"Much as I'd love to destroy all the Wraiths, it's just not plausible for us to accomplish that with the numbers in play and our current circumstances. Given everything, we're still going to get the drop on them with my plan. By the time they can act, they'll already be down for the count with any luck." she then blows some smoke past her lips, her crimson hair shifting and dancing a bit as if an open flame, as if she's getting more passionate "At the very least, I can ward us all against the cold of their blasts. And shelter our essence from the taint of contact with the Shrikes or the void. It's nothing the Sacred Flame can't shield us against." she folds her arms.

"Capture isn't our priority. We shouldn't bend our plan around it."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I'm with Muria on this. I can work to ensure the first strike is ours. Invisibility Sphere and Silence before we teleport; as long as we don't get a Shrike capable of seeing the invisible, we should have a good shot.

"Capture need not be a primary goal. I have options that may allow for it, so I'll take them if opportunity permits. But you're all correct, it's a tertiary priority at best.

"What I'm concerned about as far as baiting them is that they have sufficient numbers to overwhelm us with Wraiths. There's no pressing need for Shrikes to take to the battlefield against us. The real bait would be Adamant. They'll almost certainly need their combined attacks to do appreciable damage to it...it takes them what, about fifteen seconds or so to charge one of those, right?"

He stopped for a moment as an idea hit him, and even took Caitali's place pacing as he tried to puzzle it out. "We have the advantage of incredible mobility. What if we went at it like this? Get as many as we can on board Adamant, including all Pentacles. Adamant flies in, starts unloading, making noise, wiping out whatever it can. We keep our eyes peeled, once we see a group of them start powering up, we move. Even without evil detection, that lets us know where a Shrike is, and that its guards are busy. We hit it with overwhelming force, pure focus fire, and get out thereafter. Try and take a few down like that, then fly Adamant off, opposite the direction of the planet. Recoup, repeat.

"Then we consider their response. I see four main possibilities. One, they scatter, trying to avoid a repeat performance. That's smart, but it doesn't take into account the speed of a lightship; they do that, we hunt them down in groups, blow them away with their main advantage neutralized.

"Next possibility, they give chase. We lure them away from Celtha, and use Adamant's speed and our access to teleportation to strike surgically. It may take more time, but we're still dictating the terms of battle, and we no longer have a time limit.

"Third, they split, one group coming after us or seeking to hold us off, the other going for the planet. Again, though, Adamant can orbit the world in a minute, they fly twice as fast as humans. We can target the weaker group and annihilate it with Adamant, move on from there. If they split evenly? Well, I'd bet Adamant backed by our full forces capable of taking half their forces twice.

"Finally, their best move, they ignore us and charge straight for Celtha. Even in this case, we hammer them with strafing runs the whole way there.

"Here's the trick. For this plan to work, we need to move soon. Be proactive, as Muria said. We can't wait for them; we have to take the initiative and engage them while they're still a few hours out. If we try this while they're in range of Celtha, every situation where they send anything more than minimal forces towards the planet is a loss for us."

Once he had finished, he turned towards the group and shrugged. "Best I can come up with, given the situation. I do wish I had had the foresight to craft an item capable of casting Sonorous Hum...having concentration-free illusions could have been very useful in this case. In any event, what do we think on that, and what am I overlooking?"

[GFawkes]

"Perhaps. But how can we be certain that they themselves won't expect that? They've shown at least a degree of intelligence, is it too much of a stretch to assume that they'll have at least a few defenses?"

What about this? Evelynn, move your body to the hologram and let me have an arm.

"Just tell me what to do. I don't like you using me like a puppet."

Evelynn walks over to the holographic display, putting a hand near the center of the enemy fleet.

What if we had the Adamant attack from the front, powered suits flanking it, while we go to the flagship? If we keep quiet while there, we could reasonably take out the controlling force of the attack. The Shrikes would still have some control, but they'd be uncoordinated, less able to respond to, as Eranil put it, surgical strikes.

[Kasmania]

Raika raises her hand in the air to interrupt. "Evelynn, we really don't know if there are going to be true commanders in this attack force that's coming our way. I think we're going to have to worry most about the number of Shrikes, and the swarms of Wraiths at their command. I'm with Eranil on this one; if we can intercept them far out in space, we can deal substantial damage without worrying about Celtha for the time being. But rather than moving away from Celtha as a lure, we should instead retreat towards Celtha as we battle. As long as we can maintain our defensive line, we can force them to move at our speed and slow them down to the point where we can afford enough time to locate and destroy the Shrikes in command without risking Celtha being overrun." She pauses a moment to collect her thoughts.

"As long as we can blunt their momentum, and destroy enough Wraiths in the front line with the Adamant and our other forces, the Shrikes will almost certainly bring their power forward as support. As soon as we detect one, the five of us can go in, eliminate the Shrike as quickly as we possibly can, and then retreat back to the Adamant for the next one. If we destroy enough of them, their entire attack force should fall apart from lack of command."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That sounds good. I do think though, that we should try to position Adamant off to the side of their line of advance, say somewhat further than midway between their position and Celtha and as far to the side as we can be and still hit them reliably. They should be a much larger target than we are, so I believe we will have the advantage of superior range.

"If I'm figuring it right, and we can position it right, this will force them to take one of two options. First, they continue their advance, and we hammer them with Adamant from relative safety for as long as they're in range. We can use the reactor drive as needed to get closer with Celtha as they move, and once they're close enough, wade in directly.

"Alternately, if we do have the advantage of range, they'll have to adjust their course to approach or evade, which should force them to slow down, and build speed back up later. That will give us more time to hammer them. And of course, if they split, we can engage a partial force, a huge advantage for us.

"I believe this will give us more opportunities to hit them before they can hit us, as opposed to a headlong charge where we're both just forcing beams down each other's throats."

[kestrel404]

Chaitali considers what she knows about their enemy and their resources. Adamant being their primary resource in this fight. With what the others are saying, the outlines of a possible plan forms in her mind.

"OK, Muria, you've got a point on the teleportation - I keep forgetting that you can change where you're going at the last second instead of having to concentrate on it the whole time. And with Adamant's sensors or whatever spell we use to find the Shrikes inside their swarms, hopefully we'll have good enough coordinate to get within a few dozen feet of them when we hop in. I like the idea of going in invisible, just in case, and going in prepped for the enemies primary weapons is never a bad plan."

Then she grins. "I like the idea of going after them early. Always hit them early and often, I say. The only issue I have with either plan, Adamant as defender or harasser, is maneuverability. The enemy's not dumb, if they go from ship to swarm too early, Adamant's speed blows theirs out of the water, we outmaneuver them and we defeat them in detail - not gonna happen, we're not that lucky. Even if it does happen, we can adapt to that kind of luck on the fly. We need to plan a course for the Adamant that keeps her in effective weapons and sensor range for as long as possible, and doesn't let the enemy slip past."

Chaitali gives the group a self deprecating smile. "Unfortunately, this is rocket science, so I'm a bit out of my depth. But I think that our best bet is gonna be getting the Adamant out to about half way to the enemy, stopping, and then blasting back home at top speed. The trick is timing it so that by the time we reach top speed heading back, the Neverwere are at long range for our weapons. Then, the Adamant stops accelerating, turns 180, and starts shooting while flying backwards towards Celtha. She brakes at the last possible moment to avoid hitting the planet, or as soon as the enemy starts turning into swarms."

She shakes her head, and starts playing devil's advocate for her own plan. "Of course, I'm not sure whether that's possible. And I know that the teleportation stuff is gonna get touchy. I've never done a teleport at those kinds of speeds, let alone one where I'm trying to hit a moving target. Anybody know what happens when you go from one moving body to another with a teleport? I don't wanna find the Shrike and 'port in just to get ripped to shreds by my own magic, or to get hit by all the wraiths at once because I'm suddenly moving at 1/2 lightspeed relative to them."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That should work just as well. Whether from side or front, the main goal is to hit them as hard as we can for as long as we can. I don't expect we'll actually be teleporting in until we near the planet and they break up. I do not expect that teleporting into them while they are swarming would be a survivable tactic.

"When it gets to that point, though, I'll cloak us. I also enchanted a wand of Death Ward for just this sort of occasion; hopefully it will keep the special effects of the Shrikes' blasts to manageable levels. Also, let's remember to invest Primal Cold into our costumes, and put some energy into it if we can spare it. It won't be able to completely ablate their attacks, but it should tone them down some. If anyone can't spare the energy for that, let me know; I have a Protection from Energy wand as well."

Eranil would, in fact, take his own advice immediately, working the simple artifice rituals that allowed him to manipulate the raw Light that infused his costume, though he still paid attention to the discussion as he did so. Over the next few minutes, his robe became somewhat more stiff, taking on a pale blue hue, and the low, constant hum it generally emanated quieted some.

Spoiler

Show

Altering Costume effects, replacing Nimble with Primal (Cold). Changing the six invested motes from Primal (Sonic) to Primal (Cold). Sonic damage bonus reduced to +1 per die, Sonic Resistance reduced to 5, lowers Acrobatics, Climb, and Swim by 5, adds +2/die to cold damage for what it's worth and Cold Resistance 20.

[Danakir]

"We'll have to ask the Captain whether she believes she can make it back to the blockade before they engage us if we were to intercept them for bombardment out there in space. Personally, I think it sounds like a risk we can't afford. We stand to lose more than we gain if our theories on whether we can out-maneuver them turn out to be even slightly off." she doesn't sound all that comfortable with their fancy plan and tactics, it's clear her preference is for maintaining the initial blockade and letting them crash against everything they've built in the last weeks.

Her expression turns particularly deadpan at Eranil's last words "Haven't you've been paying attention to what I've said?" she smacks him on the back to get his attention, sighing sharply "With the blessing of the Sacred Flame, I can ward us all against the cold. You can use that wand of yours if you'd like, although I can also provide similar protection. Really, we should focus on enhancing our mobility as much as we can. It'll be the only way we can keep their speed advantage in check, don't you think?" she meets his eyes firmly.

"Just have some faith." she then clicks her tongue, turning her attention back toward the display of their planetary defenses.

"We really should get in contact with Captain Branca if we plan to change the Adamant's orders."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Eranil just gave a self-deprecating laugh. Since they learned they would be fighting Wraiths and Shrikes, he'd been telling himself, don't forget to switch to cold, don't forget to switch to cold. So, yep, he had just kinda glossed over that. Duh. He canceled his costume alteration.

"I might have a trick or two to assist with mobility, although it's not really my forte. Fortunately, teleportation works just as well at short ranges as long. As far as staying here though...I can't see the benefit. We have enough time and enough speed to at least make the attempt, and it gives us a chance to cause some really heavy damage from relative or, if we pull it off really well, possibly even complete safety. It seems a much bigger risk to face a swarm that outnumbers us by orders of magnitude in a straight-up battle, to my mind."

[Danakir]

"None of us are engineering experts or pilots for that matter. We really should bring in Captain Branca so we can get a realistic assessment of how viable this plan is, no?" she shrugs sheepishly.

"Well, then again, I'm only really speaking for myself. I've never really had to manage an entire planet's defense." hollow laughter follows afterward.

The pressure on all of their shoulders must be crushing.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Agreed. We definitely do not want to be hasty about this or any plan."

He gave a sympathetic smile in response to her other comment. "Indeed. Nonetheless, I am confident. We have prepared well, and have I believe a solid strategy taking shape."

[kestrel404]

Chaitali speaks up. "Mobility I can help with. I've got a wand crafted by a druid that let's you fly faster. Each use lasts for three hours, so anyone who wants can be significantly faster than normal for the battle. And you're right, we should call the captain and her navigator to see if my idea will even work."

[Kasmania]

Raika glances hesitantly between her teammates. "Um...I think I'm with Eranil and Chaitali on this one," she says with an apologetic look towards Muria. "If we can ambush them out in space, and still make it back to Celtha before the rest of the swarm, then that can only be to our benefit. Every single Wraith and Shrike we can kill out there will be one less we have to deal with at the defensive line around Celtha. I...don't really understand all the numbers and terms being used, but if it's possible, and the Adamant can do it, I think we should go for it." She glances over towards Chaitali and Eranil. "Can you contact the captain and explain this plan? If she says that it's possible, then I'll trust her judgement on the matter."

[kestrel404]

Chaitali nods and moves to a communicator on one wall and starts talking into it - making a request for some of the captain's no doubt limited time to discuss the feasibility of a battle plan. She also asks for the other Silver Pentacle, since they've got as much say in the coming battle as her own Pentacle and it would be rude to cut them out of the loop.

[Danakir]

She offers an understanding smile to Raika, as if she understands how she feels even if she doesn't agree with the others on this subject. Her attention then shifts to Eranil as she leaves contacting the Adamant and the other Pentacles to the rest of her team.

Approaching closer to the much older man, she puts a hand on his arm to get his attention "Hey, speaking about tactics and everything, I've got this plan I kinda want to try and I was wondering what you think..." she clicks her tongue, the fragrant scent of burnt incense hanging about her person.

"I've been thinking, since you could use that wand of yours to protect us against the Shrikes, I might be able to offer a blessing of freedom to everyone. Assuming they all clump together and you can impede their ability to move, then we'd be able to turn their great advantage on its head and have control of the battlefield." she runs a hand through her crimson locks, grinning sheepishly "What do ya think? Could you work something out?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hmm...interesting," he said, considering for a moment. Then, as was his wont, he gave a perhaps-rather-too-detailed analysis of the plan. "Depending on just how clumped up they are, it could be viable; at the scale that this battle will take place on, we can't be assured that a large group will be all within a twenty-foot sphere. If they are, though, I have two spells that can work, and work well together. One to conjure a cloud thick enough to impede movement, the other to weave a zone of clashing illusions that induces vertigo. The second is partially selective.

"However, they aren't perfect. Even with unrestricted movement, both spells include several non-selective sensory elements that can impede an offensive. If we likewise had some way to grant us all the ability to target foes without recourse to sight, it would be perfect. If we can rely primarily on area attacks, it would also work, although effective targeting outside the cloud would be highly difficult. Otherwise, it would likely still lead to a greater advantage than disadvantage, but we must remember that Wraiths and Shrikes are primarily ranged attackers. Limiting their movement may not significantly hamper them in direct combat.

"However, if we could lock them down inside the cloud, while we remain outside and fill it with area attacks, their ability to target would be crippled, while we would be fairly well assured to be catching several high-priority targets with our blasts. Further, it might then also be possible to center a field of silence on the cloud. This could cripple their ability to lead their units, as at that point they could be neither seen nor heard...ah, although I do not think they communicate verbally, did we ever get that confirmed...?" ((Knowledge Check! Taking 10))

"Well, in any case, it's a solid plan to consider. It will depend on the situation of course, but if I see a large enough clump, I'll definitely lay down such spells. Having unrestricted movement will likewise be worthwhile in any case, so that the option to wade into such effects is available."

[Danakir]

She considers his words and then nods with something of a frustrated expression "I hadn't considered the issue of visibility. There's not really anything I can do to help with that issue... still, it could come in handy. At least, I think." she shrugs good-naturedly "Just an idea I had."

[Snowfire]

Chaitali – remembering that she actually has a telepathic link to both the people she’s trying to contact - forgoes the communicator and directly contacts both Mari and Valerie, requesting their presence for advice and professional expertise. The request is met with easy acceptance and, after a short wait, there is a flash of light off to one side of the room and the two are with you. At first glance you likely wouldn’t know that one was twice the age of the other, but the almost tangible aura of experience around the one dressed in white and gold makes it very clear which is which.

Valerie, the commander of the other Silver Pentacle, hangs back as the two approach. She’s in full battle dress, her staff shining faint gold in the low light of the room. From both practice exercises and actual combat, you all know that there’s almost definitely a rather unpleasant Illumination held within it. She’s clearly on edge, but then, so are you. And she has rather a lot of reason to be, considering her mother was one of the Golden detailed to defend Celtha. Mari on the other hand?

You’ve all met Mari before. Pentacles know the command staff of the Lightships that work with them. It makes things a lot easier. But your impressions before now were of a calm, relatively composed and competent woman. She’s all of those things right now, but there’s something more to it. She isn’t shaken. Not even a little. Maybe somewhere deep down inside, but…nothing that any of you can see. She glances at the holo-display, at the solid wave of Neverwere bearing down upon the world, and dips her head in recognition.

“We’ve got a full count on them now - or at least as full a count as we’re going to get at this range. Looks like fifty thousand or so of them.” Her voice doesn’t even waver. “What did you have in mind?”

[kestrel404]

Chaitali looks a bit nervous as she steps forward and starts to explain her idea. "Well, Ma'am, I had an idea and most of the Pentacle seems to agree. I think we should use the Adamant's superior maneuverability to hit the Neverwere sooner rather than later. Move out into space between us and them, and then start back towards Celtha so that we match their speed about the same time they come into firing range. It would put them on the defensive and let us take out more of them before we have to mount a full defence... But none of us knows enough about space maneuvers to know if that's feasible, which is why we brought you in. I asked for Mari since she's got as much say in this as any of us."

She turns to Mari and continues, "We're also discussing the feasability of pinpointing the Shrikes within the group when they inevitably come together for a counter attack, and teleporting between the Adamant and the Neverwere formation while they're distracted firing back at us, though I'm not entirely sure that's possible at that kind of speed. Do you know if that's been tried before?"

She looks back and forth between the Captain and senior member of the other Pentacle before adding, "Oh, and if you've got any questions for us or tactical advice, fire away!"

[Danakir]

Muria's expression darkens imperceptibly as they get a solid number on their opposition. Watching the pair, she quickly makes her way over to Valerie, holding one of her arms "Fifty thousand... I've never seen even half that many at once." she mumbles to herself and then grins up half-heartedly at her old friend "How are you holding up, Val? We haven't really talked since, well..." she shifts her weight awkwardly and then goes silent.

Seeing Valerie immediately forces thoughts Muria would rather keep back to the fore. The simmering elemental-blood doing her best to listen to Mari's assessment of the situation nonetheless.

"Personally, I think it'd be best if we waited until we made it back to the defense line to intercept them. But that's just my opinion, you'd know a lot better, Mari." she looks into the older disciplined woman's eyes.