Ashourina! (In Character)

[Raunchel]

Ashourina remains seated, watching, and listening to her many servants and sources. It is not yet the time for her to move, only to observe. She however does ready herself, if there are more disasters, she will have to intervene. And then the world will know her wrath.

Now she is focusing on the mistakes, or perhaps rebellion, of Cordelia. Something is wrong with the woman, and Ashourina will speak to her in person. She requires a proper explanation, and a way to show her displeasure without losing loyalty.

[Sir Grave]

Spoiler: Cordelia - Velduvian

Show

She nodded. "...Thank you.
"If you wish, you may speak to Lucius. He resides in the war room, last I checked."

With that Cordelia headed for the Greater Platform of Jaunting atop of one of the higher towers. She could not keep her Queen waiting.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

One scene transition later...

Once again, Cordelia approached the Queen, in the same manner as before: humbly, eyes towards the earth before she knelt, silent before she was allowed to speak. Already the guilt of her action tore her apart from the inside, but she had to endure. Feeling guilt was not enough. Not even sorrow was enough. Nothing could excuse her defiance, but she needed to know the why.

The paladin awaited the Ashourina's words with a sense of dread... knowing that the faintest inkling of displeasure the Queen could express would wound Cordelia far more than any blade or spell.

[Starmage21]

Aldik scries upon his psicrystal. If it were possible for him to make a face, it would appear extremely perturbed.

"Stilltongue, I will not be able to get to the scouts in the castle easily. I think at this point it would be too risky for me to get to them, even if they have not yet informed Saint Sal'veen. We should amend our plans and efforts to account for Lady Cordelia's grievous error in judgement. Velduvian and The Lady are preparing to march for battle, we should assist them where we can."

Aldik orders his Psicrystal to stay with Stilltongue for a time more. It hovers hover to him and awaits him to take it.

Aldik lets out an audible sigh, feeling Lady Cordelia appear nearby via Anticipate Teleport. He turns from the ziggurat's edge and begins his slow and steady pace into the main chamber, once again his staff producing the audible metal-on-stone 'clink' every couple of steps. As he approaches from behind the kneeling Lady Cordelia, he speaks.

"If I were capable of experiencing physical stress, I perhaps would be experiencing that right now, Lady Cordelia. Fortunately I have never been one to lose my wits. The question before us now is what to do, as our previously considered plan is now invalid. Should we prepare for a long siege against our adversary, or commit to battle quickly before he can be ready? I suggest neither of these. We should enter his castle as a small team and engage him and his commanders rather than committing any forces to battle. If we fail, then we will be forced to commit to battle. If we succeed, any battle will be over quick. Still, the last thing we should do, is kill him."

Aldik nods to the queen, and then takes position standing to the left of her throne looking down the walkway to the throne, and down at Lady Cordelia.

[ValarMorgulis]

Stilltongue grabs the psicrystal and tucks it into his coat. He had hoped Aldik would be able to reveal the nature of the ward protecting the fortress, but no matter. He would rely on his own considerable abilities to stay hidden and alive.

He follows Sal'veen's servants, passing into the warded area.

[rweird]

Stilltongue: When you enter the warded area, make a will save. The psicrystal needs to as well (unless the coat is extra dimensional or something, which also would mean Aldik couldn't be watching Stilltongue's progress).

[Anomander]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

"I know him better than most. Maybe the best."

Waving Izolas along, the dragon led the angel into a clearing in the forest where a feast was already underway. "We had started the night's feast already. Since Velduvian took over, feykind has had a feast every night. The forest produces a great deal of food, and even more now. Enough that we can feast like kings, one and all, each night. The chaotic nature of the Fey were holding them back, and mutual cooperation has brought us great happiness. We are a united people now. Velduvian wants us to stay secluded. What do you think?"

Spoiler: To Velduvian cohort Alexstrasza

Show

Izolas looks skeptically at Alexstrasza out of the corner of her eye.

"I am quite certain your days of protected existence are at an end, for Velduvian is bringing forth your power into the light of day, and powerful movements have powerful responses. Interactions, even such as war, entangle peoples and beings, and the entanglements are not easily stopped after a conflict is complete. Even if the prime's powers fall like dominoes, then the forest's seclusion is at an end.

"I have no doubt that there are great benefits of food and safety under Velduvian's watch; poverty is a very chaotic state of affairs. Perhaps somewhat inevitable if people are allowed to pursue their own enjoyments. The greed of people tends to cause a very uneven distribution of prosperity. Curbing it tends to have ... unintended consequences, though. Something my previous associates in the celestial realms tend to overlook, as do many people who rule."

While her face darkened briefly toward the end, her face brightened as she began to speak again.

"Ashourina's vision is beyond the imagination of the celestial powers because they lock themselves into the concept of changing everyone to be the same, to all follow exactly the same rules, and since they are the ones making the rules, they don't have to follow them either. Once this plane is brought together under Ashourina's domination, mortals will finally have the freedom which Mount Celestia would keep from them!"

Izolas shakes her head. "Sorry. Its only been a few centuries since my frustration boiled over and I left their hypocritical system, and a dozen millenia of frustration doesn't leave quickly. While I admire some of Sal'Veen's dedication, it's a dedication to a fundamentally flawed view of the world, and I am still eager to begin the strikes against him and his system. May I ask about your plans for the assault? Even a vast horde will likely break against its walls if he has carefully designed its protections. I have a few ways to bring the walls down if that will help, though. I can bind a few beings that can quickly tunnel beneath the walls to collapse them, hopefully removing at least some of their protection for the defenders."

[darklink_shadow]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

Alexstrasza smirked. "Our King would have our involvement kept secret and witnesses of our involvement slain. And yet that is impossible."

Gesturing mildly at the food, Alexstrasza smiled. "Eat until your heart is content. As a member of Velduvian's closest council, I only feast on special occasions. Tonight is not one of them. Many of us haven't eaten in years."

"As for the battle... The defenses are up to the spies, or up to the more powerful among us to shatter. Velduvian will destroy magical defenses, and crush the walls. And the delicious meaty bits inside are for us. The army is to scare the other army. The war will be fought between champions."

[Silver Night]

Stonebiter

Spoiler

Show

Stonebiter will move on from his new friends, and continues scouting around the edge of the forest, with an eye kept toward the castle.

[Raunchel]

Ashourina at first ignores Cordelia, letting her kneel and speak without even turning her eyes. She has no need to, she knows what she would see. Anger seethes in her, but there is more than that base feeling. There also is pain, she is disappointed, but she won't show it. Memories race through her head, of the royal guards of old, who, when they failed, would cut their faces in shame. Or the tradition of suicide that she had witnessed mere centuries ago in the lands of Velor. But she won't lose her champion, she is too useful for such things. But an example has to be made. This cannot be tolerated.

Slowly the queen rises, still not setting an eye on the wayward mortal. Mortals are easy to punish, but difficult at the same time. They tend to be fragile. "Words have been spoken on this day, words for which not permission was given. Words that would have seemed to imperil our plans. But we know those who serve us, and we know their minds. We know, and our plans are made with that in mind. We know why things were done, why minds, both mortal and immortal, let themselves be tainted by unwanted feelings."

She took a step, the first in many hours. Her footsteps are light, even though they are encased in bronze. "All will continue as it was, but there is pain in our heart, even though we knew what would come to pass. The Lady of the Black Rose has failed in the task set to her, not seeing the truth of the world. Our enemy is not one who deserves her compassion, or anyone's compassion. He is not misguided, he is set in his path. And his path is that of death and ruin. The path that we seek to block. Such men must not be reinforced in any way, any moment of mercy or kindness towards him inflicts untold pains on this world."

She walked past Cordelia, still not looking over her when the tail of her armour suddenly lashed out, cutting not once, but twice in the forehead of the one who had thought for herself. The cuts formed a symbol, now in blood, in the future as a scar.

ܐ

The symbol was simple, and there for all to see. The first, the Olaf, the symbol on the queen's banners and monuments. "We feel love for you, for all those who seek or see truth. But we cannot permit such things to happen again. The so-called saint will die, and you will act towards that with perfect obedience. You are the Lady of the Black Rose, and as such, you must not let rashness guide you. If council is needed, there is the one who speaks, the one who things, your queen. When doubt besets you, think of what we would do, or turn to us. We want you to be the best you can be, to be the hero this world deserves. Let this be a symbol of that, a symbol of hope, and a reminder of the truth and of justice."

She turned away from Cordelia, back to her throne. "Inform the others of what has happened. The keep will be infiltrated, and weakness will be find. Once that is done, the strike will be made. The armies of Grimfell are to be readied, to demonstrate against the walls of the foe. The Lady of the Black Rose will be at their head, and she will distract our foe from the true nature of the strike. The next time the Lady encounters an emissary, she will state that she has been tasked by the sleeping queen to conquer all in her name. But she will not reveal that we have stirred."

[rweird]

Stonebiter:

Spoiler

Show

You come across 9 other pairs of humans dressed similarly to the first, and at the edge of the plains, but hidden from sight from the fortress by the trees, a young man looking after about 30 horses.

Stilltongue:

Spoiler

Show

Upon entering the area, you take 36 damage (save was passed), and something seems to seal off your shadowspace. On the walls, Greater Arcane Sight reveals Death Ward active on each guardsman. The gate is warded by an Elder Glyph of Warding.

For following them, how high up do you fly?

[Sir Grave]

Cordelia listened with her head bowed low. And then...

slash! slash!

The ritual undertaken, which made her as powerful as the Ancient Dreadnoughts of old, made it nearly impossible to feel pain. This was... different. Ashourina's words weighed upon her like a world resting on her shoulders, compounding her guilt. And she left herself open to the Queen's wrath. And so, she allowed herself a very human reaction. "A-ah..."

The moment she felt the need to cradle her mark she resisted, allowing the blood to drip upon the ground. She allowed the Queen to finish... but was never allowed to speak herself. She knew the queen's will. She swallowed her pride, it drowned in an ocean of her shame.

"...yes..."

"Yes, my Queen...

"...I won't fail you again."

She rose, not meeting the Queens gaze, and bowed. Then took her leave...

As the door shut down behind her, she stood frozen for a good minute in complete silence, no one else around. A single tear had escaped and rolled down her cheek. "..."

She made her way to a platform of jaunting.

[ValarMorgulis]

Stilltongue follows no more than 60 feet away from the group so that he can continue to detect their thoughts. As he reaches the glyph-protected gate, his form shifts, becoming incorporeal, and he attempts to bypass it by moving through the walls. Should that fail, he attempts to bypass the glyph with Disable Device. All the while, he looks for an opportune time to strike at his enemies from the shadows. He must not allow Sal'veen to know that Grimmfell has fallen.

Disable Device (1d20+55)[75]

EDIT: If it's on the outer gate... he will first just try to fly over.

[Anomander]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

Alexstrasza smirked. "Our King would have our involvement kept secret and witnesses of our involvement slain. And yet that is impossible."

Gesturing mildly at the food, Alexstrasza smiled. "Eat until your heart is content. As a member of Velduvian's closest council, I only feast on special occasions. Tonight is not one of them. Many of us haven't eaten in years."

"As for the battle... The defenses are up to the spies, or up to the more powerful among us to shatter. Velduvian will destroy magical defenses, and crush the walls. And the delicious meaty bits inside are for us. The army is to scare the other army. The war will be fought between champions."

Spoiler: To Alexstrasza

Show

Izolas picked up a piece of fruit and seemed to examine it carefully, though it was only the initial point of her train of thought. Finally she popped the juicy morsel into her mouth and chewed, testing the flavor and texture.

"It is a good thing to be reminded of things like eating. I enjoy it, but it is not necessary for me - I partake in the pleasure of the taste, texture, and social bonding, but only for those aspects. I have never had a need to eat - I have never been hungry for food. I sometimes lose sight of the fact that sustenance is such an integral part of some beings makeup. Even though it is perhaps no longer necessary for some of you, it is a fundamental shaping aspect of your personality."

She gives Alexstrasza a very pointed look. Izolas is seeing more of Velduvian's nature expressed in his followers, and there are certain ... weaknesses, or if not exactly weaknesses, then 'traits' which aren't particularly beneficial at this moment. Or perhaps it is merely Velduvian's lack of communication with his followers as to the nature of the larger plans. She would fix his oversight if she could.

"I understand the desire, nay the need, to feast on 'the meaty bits', but those meaty bits are beings similar to yourselves and entangled with other beings beyond our reach right now. When you snap them up, you sever connections, sending ripples throughout the interconnected web of relationships which form the power structures of the multiverse. Those ripples can go a long ways, and can grow in magnitude.

"Likewise, leaving the armies to vaguely neutralize each other in some way while the lords carry out the battle causes its own sort of ripple in the web. Powerful actions engender powerful responses. Unleashing the full power of myself, your lord, and the others to strike down everything is going to send ripples out in ways I distinctly wish to avoid at this stage.

"You underestimate the role your army as to play in this conflict. You are not merely there to tie up their horde or to provide a distraction for spies and lords; your army is to be the conqueror of this fortress. It is to fall, not to a great cabal of powerful beings who might threaten the world, but rather to a typical army such as Velduvian's. Neither is this assault a life-ending, worldwide threat that consumes all in its way - that too is a ripple we wish to avoid, even if it is an unfounded ripple. Rather this is a typical movement of conquest by a queendom seeking to expand its power - nothing that the plane hasn't seen a thousand times before and nothing to unduly raise alarm."

Izolas examines Velduvian's cohort. She is certainly an intelligent being, more than capable of understanding her point, but her approach to the world or at least that of her master, might have her disagree with Izolas' statements. This would not be a disaster by any means, but if Velduvian and his forces had drastically different approaches planned, Izolas needed to know.

"Thus the need for a 'traditional' destruction of Sal'Veen's fortress. I would like to call and bind a few beings to accomplish this goal - beings to dig beneath the walls, causing them to collapse and allow a completely typical conquest of his fortress." Izolas gives a wry smile. "Or at least make sure that is the ripple we send out to the world."

[Sir Grave]

Spoiler: Cordelia - Velduvian

Show

Cordelia appeared within the throne room. Immediately she had her servants attend to her bloodied face, washing it clean. She made a point not to heal the mark, for it was hers to bear.

Once that was done, she met with Velduvian at the front gate, making no attempt to hide Ashourina's mark.

"...We proceed as planned. Take as many knights as you require. I will take the rest through the forest path, and remain unseen."

[darklink_shadow]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

Alexstrasza gives Izolas a hard, unrelenting glare for a long ugly moment, her muscles coiling tensely. And then she laughed loudly and for a long while. "Oh my sweet angel, you are so cute. You are so foreign here, that you do not know our games. So tense, and angry over such a small misunderstanding too."

A few more buffets of chuckles escaped her and she picked up an apple and bite into it. "That rant was worth eating about."

After eating the rest of the apple whole the fey smiled mischievously. "We aren't cannibals, and you insult us to imply as much. The teeth and the meat... are our blades and the soldiers. The fey do not have to speak directly. We are clever enough that riddles and analogies simply sneak into every day conversation, and we are flexible enough to understand."

"Let me speak plainly. I have no plans to break down the walls. No plans to go under or over them. I have only plans once the army is inside. It would be foolish to make plans about breaking down walls I know nothing about, and I leave the walls and this saint to Velduvian. The army will fight the army. The champions will fight the Champions. Anything else goes against the natural order. The weak, no matter how numerous, should not fight the strong. The strong can eat... ah, I mean defeat, the weak. That saint will not be bested in combat by one of my archers. And so he must be bested by a rival champion. Perhaps even myself. But why not our King? He is a Tyrant of Battle."

[Anomander]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

Alexstrasza gives Izolas a hard, unrelenting glare for a long ugly moment, her muscles coiling tensely. And then she laughed loudly and for a long while. "Oh my sweet angel, you are so cute. You are so foreign here, that you do not know our games. So tense, and angry over such a small misunderstanding too."

A few more buffets of chuckles escaped her and she picked up an apple and bite into it. "That rant was worth eating about."

After eating the rest of the apple whole the fey smiled mischievously. "We aren't cannibals, and you insult us to imply as much. The teeth and the meat... are our blades and the soldiers. The fey do not have to speak directly. We are clever enough that riddles and analogies simply sneak into every day conversation, and we are flexible enough to understand."

"Let me speak plainly. I have no plans to break down the walls. No plans to go under or over them. I have only plans once the army is inside. It would be foolish to make plans about breaking down walls I know nothing about, and I leave the walls and this saint to Velduvian. The army will fight the army. The champions will fight the Champions. Anything else goes against the natural order. The weak, no matter how numerous, should not fight the strong. The strong can eat... ah, I mean defeat, the weak. That saint will not be bested in combat by one of my archers. And so he must be bested by a rival champion. Perhaps even myself. But why not our King? He is a Tyrant of Battle."

Spoiler: Alexstrasza

Show

"Ah, my apologies for insult given. There have been those who have sought power through ... well, it's a rather messy and stupid way to acquire power. I should have known better - Velduvian would allow neither in his realm."

Izolas mentally kicked herself. She didn't like the needlessly convoluted approach to things which other beings seemed to enjoy. That was a strength of hers, in her opinion - convoluted plans fell apart more easily. Careful planning and keeping plans away from unnecessary convolutions - that was the best way. Definitely the best way.

But she had to keep in mind that other beings were more enamored of rhetorical and operational flourishes.

"As to the walls, has Velduvian said that he or anyone is going to remove the walls? I ... understand your thinking as to the roles, but I would be more reassured to know that someone has specifically planned the walls' removal."

[darklink_shadow]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

"No offense was attempted, and so no offense was given. Velduvian probably wouldn't have allowed cannibalism had he the choice, but some laws were given to him by the church. Believe it or not, Velduvian is quite devout in his religion. As are many of his followers."

The talk returning to war, Alexstrasza sighed. "In part. We've had a plan for some time, as we eagerly awaited the command to begin this conquest. But when I say we had a plan, I mean Velduvian had goals, and I had a plan. He I'd aware that it is his responsibility to find a way for my troops to get past the wall. With such a simple task, I have no doubts that Velduvian will triumph. I don't know that he could plan anything, but he has great acumen in the heat of the moment. His lack of a laid out plan has never stopped him before, and I honestly do not think it would stop him now. And yet I plan."

"He burns with passion much more than he thinks, and he let's himself be ruled by his heart. But the Fey heart is a powerful organ, and I will gladly follow Velduvian's heart. He believes in who he is and what he must do so ferociously that he cannot be stopped by lesser men. I believe you have never seen him in battle... he is a true king while he holds his blade in his hand."

Spoiler: Cordelia

Show

Whimsical as ever, Velduvian decided to change his mind and seek out Lucien. The King was upon him in moments, and stood silently in the room, smiling for some time before he spoke.

"So, what's the plan now, Luke?"

[Sir Grave]

Spoiler: Izolas

Show

"No offense was attempted, and so no offense was given. Velduvian probably wouldn't have allowed cannibalism had he the choice, but some laws were given to him by the church. Believe it or not, Velduvian is quite devout in his religion. As are many of his followers."

The talk returning to war, Alexstrasza sighed. "In part. We've had a plan for some time, as we eagerly awaited the command to begin this conquest. But when I say we had a plan, I mean Velduvian had goals, and I had a plan. He I'd aware that it is his responsibility to find a way for my troops to get past the wall. With such a simple task, I have no doubts that Velduvian will triumph. I don't know that he could plan anything, but he has great acumen in the heat of the moment. His lack of a laid out plan has never stopped him before, and I honestly do not think it would stop him now. And yet I plan."

"He burns with passion much more than he thinks, and he let's himself be ruled by his heart. But the Fey heart is a powerful organ, and I will gladly follow Velduvian's heart. He believes in who he is and what he must do so ferociously that he cannot be stopped by lesser men. I believe you have never seen him in battle... he is a true king while he holds his blade in his hand."

Spoiler: Cordelia

Show

Whimsical as ever, Velduvian decided to change his mind and seek out Lucien. The King was upon him in moments, and stood silently in the room, smiling for some time before he spoke.

"So, what's the plan now, Luke?"

Spoiler: Lucius - Velduvian

Show

Lucius, used to powerful beings teleporting in and out within the castle walls, was unfazed by Velduvian's sudden appearance. His eyes narrowed when he was referred to as 'Luke.'

"...Right. We'll just assume the Queen set things right.
"Lady Corde- *ahem* the Lady of the Black Rose will take all 100 units of our undead regulars through the Glorypine pass... with your permission, of course. Each unit will be headed by one cleric... A personal unit of Grimmfell's finest shall be headed by the Lady herself.
"Forty knights have long since taken the main road to Sal'Veen's fortress, in the guise of the reinforcements slain by our mutual marruspawn ally. This is purely to avoid suspicion. You will lead fifteen units of human regulars representing Grimmfell as an ally to the Saint. Part of your personal attache will be ten clerics, dressed as Pelor's servants.
"Two hundred-fifty soldiers, and ninety of the knight guard, shall remain stationed within the city walls, anonymity and isolation being out first line of defense should we receive an unexpected attack. Not that I see it coming, but... one tenet of warfare is to pray for the best, and plan for the worst. Speaking of...
"I presume the Lady has resolved her demons? She almost jeopardized the plan and could do it a second time, left unchecked.

Spoiler: Troop assortment

Show

With Cordelia
10k skeletal warriors
70 3rd level human clerics
30 4th level human clerics
20 5th level human paladins of tyranny
10 6th level human paladins of tyranny

With Velduvian & Izolas
10 4th level human clerics
1000 human warrior 2
500 human warrior 3

En rout to Sal'Veen
40 human knight 2

Grimmfell
250 Human Fighter 1
90 Human Knight 2

[darklink_shadow]

Spoiler: Cordelia

Show

Velduvian dropped his smile and glared at Lucius. "Ten thousand pairs of feet stomping all over the ground? They are likely to damage the earth. What sort of magics will be in place to prevent such damage to the forest? I had assumed you would move the bulk of your strike team using that platform of Greater Jaunting. And you think now to ask for permission, when refusing would damage our strategy so? Do you think to manipulate a Verdant King?"

Velduvian fumed for a moment and then calmed considerably. "You will personally replace any damaged flora. But yes, your undead will be escorted through the Glorypine Pass. Of course."

Velduvian growled and set off to leave before stopping briefly and continuing. As he left he spoke off handedly. "Your Lady of the Black Rose deserves your respect. She is handling demons that would crush your soul, and she is doing so without the comforts she requires to remain sane. But she has defeated those mighty beasts, and chained them with adamantine and cold iron snakes, so when the immortals awaken, they will be sapped, drained and powerless. Pray the coils do not slacken with age."

[Anomander]

Spoiler: To Alexstrasza

Show

"Hmmm," Izolas muses for a moment as she picks up a roasted nut with ... maple glazing. It is delicious, as is all the food Izolas has tasted so far. She has spent enough time undercover in almost every corner of every plane that her palate is far more broad than most celestial beings. If she had learned to tolerate Demongrub dipped in sulfure-infuzed blood syrup, then just about everything was tolerable.

"I prefer to have contingencies in place, because 'the enemy will try to eff your plans, that's why he's called the enemy.'" The last part of that is clearly a quote from somewhere, and Izolas' memories bring up a grizzled old human she had been assigned to aid without his knowledge of who she was. That had been one of her few pleasurable assignments.

"I will call in a couple creatures to undermine the walls, just in case Sal'Veen keeps Velduvian occupied. I have not yet heard from the others as to their investigations into the fortress's strengths and weaknesses, nor the abilities of Sal'Veen himself. Another thing for me to check on before our assault."

As she says that, she sends a quick request to her cohort to go to Ashourina's ziggurat to check on any progress in the magical investigations. She feels Iskar Jarak's confirmation and a sense of his immediate departure for the ziggurat's peak.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Iskar Jarak will be arriving there, getting the details of what has been discovered from Aldik, and relaying it on to Izolas via their telepathic link.
Once it has gotten toward evening time, he'll use Sending to check in with Meridah (pleasure devil scouting around the outside of the fortress) and with Czith the vampire doppelganger who is going to try infiltrating the castle to pose as one of the guards/inhabitants. He will also relay this on to Izolas if Izolas hasn't yet returned from Velduvian's kingdom.

[Silver Night]

Stonebiter

Spoiler

Show

Stonebiter asks the herder about the fortress.

[Sir Grave]

Spoiler: Cordelia

Show

Velduvian dropped his smile and glared at Lucius. "Ten thousand pairs of feet stomping all over the ground? They are likely to damage the earth. What sort of magics will be in place to prevent such damage to the forest? I had assumed you would move the bulk of your strike team using that platform of Greater Jaunting. And you think now to ask for permission, when refusing would damage our strategy so? Do you think to manipulate a Verdant King?"

Velduvian fumed for a moment and then calmed considerably. "You will personally replace any damaged flora. But yes, your undead will be escorted through the Glorypine Pass. Of course."

Velduvian growled and set off to leave before stopping briefly and continuing. As he left he spoke off handedly. "Your Lady of the Black Rose deserves your respect. She is handling demons that would crush your soul, and she is doing so without the comforts she requires to remain sane. But she has defeated those mighty beasts, and chained them with adamantine and cold iron snakes, so when the immortals awaken, they will be sapped, drained and powerless. Pray the coils do not slacken with age."

Lucius watched as the Verdant King left the war room, face frozen and eyes void of life. Hrm... indeed. Perhaps they would crush my soul...

Velduvian was gone from his view. ...had I a soul to be crushed. Thank the Immortal Queen that I do not... for I find souls to be highly overrated things...

***

Cordelia watched as her army mobilized into formation. A priest approached with something wrapped in silk.

...Fragile. Easily tainted with the seeds of anger, fear, doubt and attatchment.

The priest unveils it. A mask carved from obsidian in the likeness of Ashourina.

Were I capable, I would pity the Lady of the Black Rose... How much more could she accomplish... if she were not her own worst enemy?

Cordelia took it. Staring at it before putting it on. She pulled a hood over her head.

She could easily have been a Queen... and she chose instead to be a servant.

The Lady of the Black Rose mounted her dragon.

How can I respect such foolishness?

The dragon opened it's maw.
"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRR!!"

They took to the skies, towards the Glorypine Pass, and her armies followed.

[rweird]

Stilltongue:

Spoiler

Show

Flying over the wall, you see saint Sal'Veen, clad in armor, angelic wings sprouting from his shoulders, an aura of celestial might and authority about him, mounted on a colossal gold and black dragon, in the courtyard beyond, the messengers stand at the dragon's feet, other people are taking the dire bat and griffin to the stables.

The eldest of the messengers is speaking. "Ashourina has taken Grimfell. No help shall come from them. The soldiers promised probably make ready to march against us in war. A 'Lady of the Black Rose' acted as an envoy of Ashourina. She refused to give her name, although I believe I goaded her into revealing Grimfell's true allegiance. I think her to be a woman of some honor, even if evil to the core. At her command, she revealed a skeletal legion which she set forth towards us. Soon we shall be under attack."

Considering Sal'Veen is right there, do you dare venture any closer (to try to detect thoughts perhaps)?

EDIT:

Stonebiter:

Spoiler

Show

Do you do anything to disguise yourself or charm him, or do you appear as a monster?

[ValarMorgulis]

Stilltongue listens to the conversation but remains hidden. He continues to use detect thoughts on the four humanoids that he has been stalking.

[rweird]

Stilltongue:

Spoiler

Show

Currently you're out of range. I'm assuming this means you're approaching further.

Make Hide/Move Silently checks. Also, what defenses against extra-sensory perception (blindsight, scent, tremorsense, etc) do you have?

[Silver Night]

Spoiler

Show

Probably charm him if he tries to run away.

[rweird]

Stonebiter:

Spoiler

Show

"The castle, oh, they say some big-name Heironeous priest went off to retire their. Grew tired of war and all that. Personally, I think he's probably dead by now, and its about time someone else takes up residence in his fortress, not just some aging priests. I've never seen it myself, ordered not to go near the place, but from what I've heard, it is an imposing fortress, and even if its just some old priests, it'd be the devil to take without subterfuge."

[ValarMorgulis]

Spoiler: Stilltongue

Show

Stilltongue gets in range.

Hide (1d20+108)[125]
Move Silently (1d20+123)[131]

His Ghost Step feat: Creatures with blindsense, blindsight, tremorsense, or similar abilities do not automatically detect your presence, but must succeed on a Listen check, opposed by your Move Silently check, to notice you.

Not sure if that feat works for Scent, which is why he cast remove scent.

[rweird]

Stilltongue:

Spoiler

Show

You approach the group. Sal'Veen looks concerned by the news. "A pity, I hope their new sovereign isn't too harsh on them. Still, much as it pain me, the fall of Grimfell may galvanize those we protect. What of this did you include with the mail?" You get within 60 ft, however, you detect nothing. It seems Sal'Veen or the dragon has an effect surrounding them that blocks your spell. Your Gloom-sense tells you that the dragon has noticed you.

I'd rule it wouldn't work with Scent. Scent is very clearly olfactory, so being really really quiet shouldn't stop it. Still, remove scent would.

[ValarMorgulis]

Spoiler

Show

Stilltongue is perturbed that the dragon is somehow able to notice him, but now was not the right time for battle. His form melts into the shadows and he re-appears farther away, testing the range of the dragon's senses.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Stilltongue uses Through the Shadows to teleport 60 feet back. He is still under the effects of greater invisibility and quiescence