Serving the Tiara IC

[jamieth]

For a second, Alaris appears comtemplating, then, with a sigh, nods; "Very well, though the matter at hand is not one I can really teach you anything about... except by learning from my mistakes in that I allowed it to happen in the first place. In fact... you might be better suited with dealing with that... if I might request your help, please follow me, Ladies Lightwielders."

Spoiler: for everyone who goes with him

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After a short walk through the corridors, you arrive in the small room on the first floor, apparently nearby the gates; in the room, a young soldier lies on the bed; his chest is wrapped in bandages, and the blood still drips though them. "Hold on, Merick", Alaris calls out, "We'll patch you up right now..."

[Tuvarkz]

Following Alaris, Alice takes a few steps forwards, curious to see the soldier's wounds.

[RdMarquis]

"Merick...Whistle, isn't it?" Claire looks ill as she stares at the wounded young man. She had never seen someone hurt so badly before. And she felt like she almost knew the soldier, after the meeting with his mother. "Please tell me one of you knows a healing Illumination," She says to her classmates. Claire inwardly kicks herself for not having learned such an ability. "How did this happen?"

[jamieth]

@Alice: it isn't easy to see anything under the bandages, though the amount of blood suggests his condition is rather bad.

@Claire: "I don't know myself, Alaris shakes his head, "had no time to get a proper report, as you might guess... and that could wait. Taking care of Merick's woulnds takes priority..."

The soldier, hearing his name, turns his head to the voice, "Sorry, Commander... they were... waiting for us... and..." he stares at the girls with curiosity, but doesn't say anything else.

[Dondasch]

Alena stops when she see Merick's wounds. She had seen injuries before, but nothing major, and it was an unpleasant surprise. Claire's words jolt her into action, and she moves closer to Merick, assuming one of her personas as she does so. Her hair becomes long and black, and her eyes turn blue, though her clothing remains unchanged this time. Once she is next to him, she focuses for a moment, calling on the Light to heal him.

Spoiler: OOC

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Alena is manifesting the Magician Persona, and using her Regrowth Illumination. Everyone within 10ft of her receives (4d6)[15] points of healing.

[jamieth]

As the healing light spreads through the room, you see an expression of pain on Merick's face calms down, and he turns to you again, moving significantly more free this time; "Thank you... Lady Lightwielder... eh... eady to give a report, Commander!"

Alaris dismisses him with a wave of his hand, "Official report can wait until you're fully healed... and rested", he stresses the last words, "So far, I'll listen to your squadmates' brief version..." he looks at the soldier who brought him the news, "First, though, I should give you some information myself."

The last words are addressed to the girls, of course.

"You asked what happened... it all started several weeks ago. There was a raid - nothing unusual, a dozen nomads or so tried to sneak into our territory... we deal with things like these all the time, sometimes several times a month."

"What was unusual is the thing that happened several days ago... there are merchants who dare to deal with the nomads; and one of them, when returning to our country, brought me a letter. It was from my old friend... one I haven't seen nor heard from for over twenty years. And the letter... it was a warning. Apparently, a chief of one of the nomads' tribes died in that raid... and his successor wasted no time in declaring himself a chief of all the tribes - and held that position. Now, a leader who managed to unite the tribes would command a significant power... and to do that in few short weeks, indicates a person of significant ability. Of course, that information was far too important to take it for granted, so I sent scouts to make sure... and what happened, I'm just as interested in hearing as you are, undoubtedly."

"...they were waiting for us", one of the soldiers says uneasily, "it was a by-the-book ambush... Merick took an arrow to the chest before we as much as saw anything..."

[Tuvarkz]

"I guess that means there's a full on invasion on the works, right?" says Alice, a mix of worry and excitement in her tone.

[jamieth]

"Perhaps, though that's not what worries me the most", Alaris says, "after all, Dawnshield won't fall easily, no matter what forces would assault it... No, it's the fact that Merrick's squad was ambushed that's truly alarming. First of all, our neighbours..." he gestures in the direction of the plains bordering the kingdom, "are used to fighting in the open terrain, and ambushed were never their strong suit. But more importantly... Mexico's an excellent scout; a hastily laid ambush he would certainly notice, meaning it took time and effort to prepare, which would be pointless unless they knew where and when to expect my men. But details of this recon operation were known to exactly four people... Three scouts and myself."

[Dondasch]

"You're welcome, Merick." Alena says, smiling.


"So, the new leader is not only charismatic and strong enough to unite the tribes, he's willing to break from the way they've done things in favor of what works."
"And the ambush could be due to a variety of things. He could have just made a lucky guess, he could be good at predicting people, he could have set multiple ambushes and hoped that one of them would pay off, he could have some sort of spy within the fortress."
She closes her eyes for a moment, deep in thought.
"Or it could be something we don't expect. Maybe he has some sort of ally from outside the tribes backing and advising him, and that why he's using unusual tactics. Or maybe the ambush wasn't intended for you at all; his position might not be that stable, and there might still be tribes holding out against his rule."
"Of course, this is mostly guesswork. I am pretty certain that he is going to try something big though. He wouldn't be leading the tribes if he didn't have ambition, and while he may be able to convince them to follow him, getting them to work with each other will be harder. The tribes are bound to have their own longstanding friendships and grudges, and finding a common enemy is the simplest way to get them to set those grudges aside. And since they've been at odds with Akanir for a while anyway, we're the most convenient enemy."
"Though that does give us an advantage. If we can humiliate or defeat him badly enough, then he's likely to lose the respect of the tribes, and the alliance he's created will fall apart on its own."
"Hmm. Have there been any raids more recent than the one you mentioned? If so, it might be useful to talk to some of the people who fought in it in case they noticed anything out of the ordinary. You said that the details of this operation were only known to you and three others. Does that mean that the fact that there would be one at all was more widely known? And are there any routes from here to the nomads' territory that it would be especially logical to take, and did the scouting team take one?"

[jamieth]

"Well, obviously soldiers know when a scouting expedition heads out; but it's a fairly regular occurence, after all, even if Dawnshield guards the easiest way across the mountains - and the only one that horses can go through, as far as anyone knows - there are other paths, and we at least keep an eye on them. And yes, it is possible that the ambush was just an unlucky coincidence, of course... but that would be a really unlucky coincidence. As for logical paths... the most logical path to take is also the most logical one to set an ambush on, isn't it? But then, knowing that, you might want to take a path that would be less expected... but what if, suspecting that, your opponent chooses to defend that less likely path? It's a game we used to play many, many times back in the academy, and the only conclusion I made is that it has no universal solution... and knowing your opponent is the key to victory.


Now, one thing I also was considering is... should it come to the large-scale fight... to prevent unnecessary loss of lives, on both sides, I shall challenge the nomads' leader to a single combat. Regardless of how smart or charismatic they might be... refusing such a challenge would mwean utter loss of authority under their code of honour..."

[RdMarquis]

Claire had been talking to Merrick in the meantime. "You should probably consult a medic about your dietary needs." She produces the food from his mother and holds it out to him. "That said, if you need some convalescence food, your mother has seen to it." She smiles, but it fades when she comments on the subject of a possible invasion.

"I should hope that a duel would be your very last resort." Claire frowns slightly. "I don't doubt the ability of the soldiers here to defend this fortress, but you're needed here. And it wouldn't do to put yourself at risk unless you knew there was no other option." She crosses her arms. "Not to mention, we're still unsure as to why or if our adversaries have unexpected intelligence on us. Actually...who is this new leader who has united the nomadic tribes? Do we even know their name?"

[Tuvarkz]

"To see sir Alaris fight in a duel? How exciting...." commented Alice.

[Dondasch]

"I would also caution against a duel. There's something unusual going on here, and they might be prepared to fight you, or they might attempt something underhanded." Alena says, echoing Claire.
'Though perhaps one of us could challenge the leader. Alice has been vouched for by the Seraphic General herself, so she would be our best option. But as long as they may spying on us, I shouldn't mention this, so we can make sure they can't prepare.'
"We need to get more information on them. There's obviously something they don't want us to see, beyond the fact that they're planning something. The ambush tells us that much, since you said they usually don't make good use of them."Alena thinks for a moment.
"Maybe some of us," she says, gesturing to her fellow Lightwielders, "should try scouting? As you've seen, I'm a capable healer, and I also have more preventative measures available to me, so we should be quite safe."

Spoiler: OOC

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This'll probably take a Diplomacy roll if it has any chance of working.
(1d20+7)[11]

[jamieth]

"The letter didn't contain any more information, I'm afraid", Alaris shakes his head, "Only what I have told you... and some private information that only the sender would know, most likely to ensure the letter was genuine. And... also the postscriptum which promised to tell me more should the opportunity arise... I suppose it hadn't arise. As for your idea... please understand; I've no doubts in your capabilities... but you are also unfamiliar with the terrain; there's no way I could allow you to wander beyond the border on your own..."

"You... you met my mom?" Merrick asks from his bed, "Oh... I... I hope she isn't worried too much... I... never told her I volunteered for scouts, you see... and... Commander, if you need someone who know the land..."

[RdMarquis]

"We spoke briefly," she tells Merrick. "And, well, I'd be lying if she wasn't a little worried." The statement left a bad taste in her mouth. It was awfully manipulative, even if Merrick needed to rest. "A guide to help us scout the area would be appreciated, but I think we should ask one of your comrades instead." Claire looked up to address Alaris. "Is that an acceptable alternative, Sir?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll try a Diplomacy roll, as well.

(1d20+10)[12]

[lilpuppy91]

Stella did a very good job at bustling into the nearest corner to minimize the chance that anyone would bump into her and require her to apologize, and otherwise simply observe what was going on. Both Alena and Claire were amazing lightweilders. With very little information, they were already working on a plan to solve the problems of poor Sir Alaris, and save the day. She felt almost positive that both of them would be fine squad leaders one day, and through their great deeds, the world would become several times brighter. Alena's show of healing power was nothing short of miraculous, and caused Stella to be overcome with embarrassment at the fact that she had absolutely no healing spells of her own. Although she had tried many times to develop her healing magic, mostly because it seemed to be an area that she was particularly weak in than for any more practical reasons, she quickly found that her magic simply wouldn't manifest without a card. In such a way, if she never managed to find a healing card, she would be stuck forever without an ability to help her teammates.

Her dawn card did have a small ability to heal, but it was only temporary, just good enough to keep her friends out of danger of passing out, allowing them to rush into the arms of a more qualified healer, mostly. Unfortunately for her, she could just barely get through casual conversation without wanting to hide away somewhere, and she didn't possess any cards which allowed her to suddenly speak eloquently. She was of no help at all with trying to persuade Sir Alaris to allow them to go out to fight the enemy themselves. Considering that the princess had warned them against doing anything other than observing and reporting, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be of much help, but she was also eager to see what they could do outside of their classrooms and lessons, and she could tell the other girls wanted a taste of action as well.

She decided, then, that the best possible thing she could do was not be a wet blanket and insist they be safe, and instead see if the other girls could persuade the commander of the great fortress to put his faith in the abilities of unknown, untested students of the academy. She also listened, of course, and found the whole affair felt so strange and suspicious. How had unorganized, unfriendly natives become so coordinated and well planned without training, or guidance from someone who had such training? How would a wild man receive such training? Surely it was impossible for their to not have been some sort of civilized influence? Who was this new leader indeed, and where did he come from, for surely with tactics like that, he was not a local. This could mean that an outside force, an enemy of the kingdom, was attempting to manipulate these tribes into action for some reason. If there were dark forces at work, then the best option to draw them out would be to send lightwielders onto the field. Where there was light, shadows could never help but appear.

Suddenly she thought that perhaps she should try to put in a word, despite how unadvisable it might be. "S-Sir Alaris, y-you're much too valuable to the fortress to send out there to duel with d-dishonorable foes. P-please allow us t-to h-help..." she inched away from the corner enough to be seen so that Sir Alaris wouldn't think a ghost was speaking from somewhere in the room.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Rolling Diplomacy, because you scrubs don't know how to weight your dices before you roll. (1d20+2)[14]

[Tuvarkz]

Alice looked at the shy girl, and, agreeing, said: "Sure, why not? I'll go against the nomad chief first, and if I fail, Sir Alaris should manage to beat him instead."
((Aid Another on Diplomacy for Stella's check))
(1d20+3)[6]

[jamieth]

"Trust me, your eagerness I understand perfectly well", the knight says, "Unlikely though it might sound, I, too, was young once... one day it will become you duty to protect the kingdom, and I have no doubt you'tt perform splendidly - for now, though, it is my duty, and so long as my legs let me stand straight and my arms can hold the sword, I won't let anyone risk themselves in my place... the idea about assigning you to recon squad might work, though... only those of you who volunteer, of course; and seven people is too much for recon, anyway. So..."

[Dondasch]

"I'm pretty sure I've already volunteered, but I'm willing to go." Alena says.
'This is crazy. Three days ago I was just another student at the Academy, and now this.'

[RdMarquis]

"I have some measure of stealth training. And knowledge of supportive magic, in a worst case scenario." Claire smirked. "In other words, I'd like to offer my help." The alternative was to sit tight and hope for the best, which was no alternative at all.

[Tuvarkz]

Alice looked a bit down, but nodded as a sign that she would volunteer.

[jamieth]

"Very well", Alaris nods, "in that case..." he looks around, "Kar, I know you just got back..."

"Don's even say that, Commander", one of the scouts from Merrick's group responds, "OUr mission got cut short anyway, so we aren't even tired."

"Very well then, I'm entrusting escorting Ladies Lightwielders to you... but don't go too far, and don't take any unnecessary risks. Is that clear?"

"You got it, Commander", Kar nods. Apparently scouts, at least, aren't that concerned with being formal in Dawnshield...

"So, Ladies..." the scout looks somewhat... hesitant addressing you, in fact, you can see he's bushing a bit, "Where would you want to check first? To the north of the road, where we got attacked... of course, I'll make sure not to let that happen again! Or to the south? We were supposed to head there around that time, if we didn't have to return to the castle... or maybe along the road itself? It's the only way an army can pass..." at that moment, he blushes even harder, "Oh... but it's your decision, of course..."

[Dondasch]

"Yes, sir!" Alena says, saluting Sir Alaris.

Alena thinks for a moment in response to Kar's question. "I'd like to start with the north, but I'd also like your opinion. You do have more experience with the area and with scouting in general."

[Tuvarkz]

Alice smiled, thinking "The north? Perfect, maybe we'll get some fighting done. I pity the nomads that try and attack us."

[RdMarquis]

"I'd have to agree with returning to the scene of the attack." Claire muses. "Considering how recently it occurred, our foes might have left behind some clues as to their activities in the area."

[jamieth]

"Very well, ladies", the scout nods, "in that case... we should not lose any time... it isn't far, but we still have to go now if we are to reach the place before sunset... and, with all respect to your abilities, I would strongly recommend against going through mountains in darkness... though ultimately the choice is yours, of course, ladies?.. Normally, I would suggest waiting for tomorrow morning, but if we are to fond any evidence..." the young soldier is still visibly uncomfortable with his current role, unable to decide whether he's supposed to command the girls who, despite their age, are obviously his superiors in both social and military rankings, or be the one ordered around.

[Dondasch]

"In that case, let us be off."

[Tuvarkz]

Alice nodded excitedly and turned around, ready to follow Alena.

[jamieth]

The jtrip proves, if not a particularly dangerous one, still far from being easy - and the fact that your guide insists on double-checking every corner makes it only longer. Still, the sun is still high enough by the time he stops and summons you with a gesture to a large rock, "It's here. We were attacked once we went past that rock, see? We hid there... luckily they didn't give chase..."

Spoiler: Perception DC 10

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At his feet, there is a rust-colored spot visible on the ground - dryed blood, almost certaily, with smaller drips leading around the corner

[Tuvarkz]

Alice, in her eagerness, noticed the blood in the ground, pointing at it, as she said: "There! Blood! And some of it seems to be going around the corner..." The girl then approaches the spot, trying to see if she can find more clues.