[PF] Children of the Snow IC II

[RandomWombat]

"I'm not sure he'd go for it," coming over, Yachi inspects the dead moles.

"Aye... he's been working to move people away from the old ways," Marcie adds.

One of the Jorlaskan steps up next to Yarl, "Still, he has a point. We can't just run like a bunch of rats."

"If we want to do anything we need to go on the offensive," pushing himself to his feet, Solomon joins the discussion. "I know that. But we need to make our decisions with a cooler head."

For now, Gol chooses to silently observe and listen.

[Prehysterical]

Of course they were right. Conor would likely just laugh over his charred, arrow-ridden corpse in front of Volsagi's gates.

Wiping all the blood off of his blade on the fur of one of the dead moles, Yarl shifts talk of strategy. "What about Golangi? Gol, if I had your backing with Kilgore, that would be the straw that broke the cow's back as far as he is concerned. I've already spoken with him about breaking away from servitude. If Jorlaskan and Golangi were to unite, that would send a powerful message to the other clans. Why fight alone when you can combine your magic with Golangi's warriors?"

[RandomWombat]

"We would be stronger. Not strong enough. If Volsagi knows we move against them, there is little time."

"If we still want to get inside Volsagi, we'll need to make sure our allies don't wind up destroyed in the meantime."

"Or we could take the more direct route. They will probably be more wary of outsiders after this."

[Prehysterical]

Yarl sighs. "Solomon is right. The diplomatic convoy from the dwarves is no longer an option. If I was Conor, I would be locking my gates and hunkering down. New strangers appearing now is too much of a coincidence."

He looks back to Gol, another idea trickling into his brain. "Gol, you can move earth. Do you think that you could make a tunnel, or at least a small breach, under a wall?"

[RandomWombat]

The yeti chieftain's reply is immediate, "Easily. How far?"

A sly grin spreads across Yachi's face, "Oh, oh that's good. Dig right past their defenses and into the heart, yeah? You sure you weren't a dwarf in a past life?"

"It's a good plan. The close quarters inside the tula would make our numbers disadvantage less meaningful if we fight smart."

[Prehysterical]

Grabbing the broken handle of an old pickaxe, Yarl begins drawing on the cave floor. His memory of the tula isn't perfect, but he's able to get the most important details right.

"The clan's warriors are based on the east side, so we will want to come in from the west. The Clan Hall is to the north, here, but I don't know where Conor himself lives. We can try to get underneath the north wall here and tunnel into the Clan Hall. It only has one entrance and two windows, so we can control entry and escape unless someone wants to eat glass.

We shouldn't have to worry about tunneling into any cellars, from what I saw. We would need to start our digging out of sight of the sentries, though. T'would be easier to do this at night, less guards and the cover of darkness, but then Conor might be at home instead of there. I suggest a small strike team of our best fighters. It will be close quarters and they will be less likely to spot us. Fighting off the thanes and fyrd is going to get us killed unless we either take Conor hostage or take him out through the tunnel."

[RandomWombat]

"The area between the Volsagi and Golangi tulas has a lot of hills, and there's no roads for patrols there. That should give us good cover if we start at the opposite base of a big hill," Solomon takes up the pickaxe and draws some curvy hill shapes north of the tula map.

Gol looks thoughtfully at the map before rumbling, "I can make thirty feet of tunnel in a day. Can get under a wall easy. This will take days. Maybe a week."

"There are dwarves who could help," Yachi mentions, "A lot of our city's maintenance and repair is done using Stone Shape. I'd suggest using our actual tunneling equipment but, well, it's loud as hell. Stone Shape is good for this since it's totally quiet."

[Prehysterical]

"We are pressed for time," Yarl reminds them. "For all we know, Godelieve could be knocking on Jorlaskan's gates tomorrow at the head of every Volsagi weaponthane.

Yachi, how fast can we get the diggers to the hills?"

[RandomWombat]

"If I lean on my family a little, I can get some of our personal diggers over there in less than a day. We can probably get two or three, maybe another forty or sixty feet of tunnel a day. Getting more diggers would take appealing to the board for support and getting public workers."

"What about this digging machine you mentioned?"

"We call them drills. Normal ones are like spinning spear heads used to dig through rock, but they'd only be about as fast as using stone shape. A magically enhanced drill could punch through earth like a fish in water."

[Prehysterical]

All of this sounds like it takes too much time for Yarl's liking. If only they had some inside information...

He looks back toward the Jorlaskan thanes. "How is the patrol? Are their minds their own again?"

[RandomWombat]

The thanes shake their heads. They show Yarl to where the patrol has been tried up and stabilized. Barely conscious, they still have that dead look in their eyes. When anybody gets close, they struggle against their bonds.

"I haven't seen anything like this," Yachi crosses her arms and looks upon the three militia members with pity. "It looks like there's just.... nothing there."

[Prehysterical]

There's one last thing that Yarl wants to try before giving in to the inevitable prospect of delaying the assault. "Gol, do any among the Jorlaskan know spells of invisibility? We don't need to start on the other side of the hills if we can do that; we just start right at the edge of the wall."

[RandomWombat]

"Some could. Quinten could," Gol nods.

"I can do that too," Yachi adds.

"Likewise," Marcie adds, "Between us all we could easily get some people inside under the wall. Either we can focus on invisibility and bring a larger group, or keep it to a small one and have some other spells ready if we need them."

[Prehysterical]

Now they were cooking with fire. "I want to keep it to a small team, this mission. Only our best. We go in, ready for trouble, and try to figure out what to do from there. It all depends on if we can find Conor and if taking him hostage is an option."

[RandomWombat]

"How many people are you thinking?" Marcie asks, "So we know how much invisibility to prepare. And who did you have in mind?"

[Prehysterical]

Yarl thinks very hard about the number he wants to take in. Too few and they could be overwhelmed. Too many and any chance of stealth would be hopeless.

"Gol will be the earth mover. Yachi and Marcie, you would come, too. Otherwise, just me." Yarl is afraid that Solomon will volunteer himself for the mission. He secretly can't stand the thought of his chieftain delivering himself into the hands of his enemies.

[RandomWombat]

"Just the four of you?" Solomon observes, concern clear in his tone. "We should have a backup plan. A way to signal us if you need help."

One of the Jorlaskan weaponthanes walks over and takes a signal horn from her belt. "One of these could work."

"No, that would give away our position to the entire tula. Yarl is right. With a small group, we can use invisibility again to get away if we have to," Marcie lowers the weaponthane's offered horn back to her side.

"Come. We will return to the tula and heal our injuries," evidently deciding the discussion closed, Gol turns to leave the cave with the weaponthanes behind him. Solomon doesn't look happy with the plan, but he pulls himself to his feet and follows the Jorlaskan outside.

[Prehysterical]

Yarl tries to reassure his chief. "I know that four is not nearly a match for an entire tula, but our goal is Conor, not taking over the entire settlement. The more people we bring, the more attention we draw. I'm not happy about it, either, but we have to make the best of it... just like we have been," he reflects significantly.

"The problem is that any signal we can give, the Volsagi will be just as able to take notice of. We will have to trust in a quiet entry and a speedy exit. Beyond that, only the gods can help." Yarl looks in apology at Solomon, but wonders if he will press the issue further later.

While the others ready to leave, Yarl looks at the deranged members of the patrol. "What about them? Should we take them with us?" Yarl looks toward Gol respectfully. Gol was Chieftain of Jorlaskan and responsible for its people's safety. He had to be the one to make the decision of whether to risk it or not.

[RandomWombat]

"Even if you catch him at the Clan Hall, you may well have other members of his Clan Ring to deal with as well," Solomon points out.

"Maybe we should bring one of these people, as proof of what's going on. We might be able to turn some of them against him."

"The rest we should have delivered to New Ulseland. My people are better equipped to figure out what's wrong with them."

Gol nods in agreement with Yachi. "I can have some of my people take them there."

[Prehysterical]

Marcie makes an excellent point, but it would make the mission even riskier. Not only would they have to look out for trouble from the outside, but also this poor wretch from within.

Ultimately, however, this might be the right call. The only true way to beat the Volsagi was to show them that their leaders were not worthy of the title and have them overthrown. Their small band of "rebels" simply can't fight the whole tula one-on-one.

"These are all people from Edwina's patrol. Assuming they haven't already executed her, she may be captured. We have friends inside the walls, if we can call upon them. We can take one, but they will have been to gagged and watched. The rest can go to the dwarves; I hope that they can undo whatever has been done.

We had better move. Jorlaskan does not have much time."

[RandomWombat]

"Back to the tula, then. We must prepare our spells for tomorrow," Gol turns to the scouts and points to the 'zombie' patrol, "Bind them. Use some of the blankets left in the barrack to make cloth sleds. Faster to move them." While that is done, Gol and Solomon begin skinning and declawing the dire moles to reclaim what they can from the dead beasts to bring back, including a few cuts of meat (at Yachi's advice on the best cuts).

Gathering themselves, the group ventures out of the mine and back over the flat land between it and the Jorlaskan tula. By the mercy of the gods, the tula is not yet on fire. Once inside, Marcie and Yachi break off with the 'zombies' to work out getting them to the dwarves. Gol begins organizing the fortification and active defense of the tula in case of attack. Solomon goes with Gol; since he is staying back and has experience in battle, Solomon is given the accounts of the defenses to organize and direct them if something happens while the diggers are infiltrating the Volsagi tula.

A small group of scouts is dispatched towards the Golangi tula to warn them of what is happening.

The 'attack' will happen tomorrow once the magic users are made ready, giving Yarl the rest of the day to prepare - and to wait anxiously.

[Prehysterical]

Before the scouts leave, Yarl instructs them to find Murdock and tell him to bring "the armor" to Jorlaskan. "Tell him that the lost have been found and someone has need of it."

It takes quite a long while for Yarl to clean away the blood and muck from his armor and weapons from the skirmish. Upon consideration, he then dirties them again with slight bits of coal. While he normally enjoyed seeing the metal shine, that same gleam could give them away and be their death sentence.

Finding Solomon, Yarl breaks into question without ceremony. "I've been thinking about what you said... If we cannot return to the tunnel, for some reason, do you think we could make a break for the western gate?

[RandomWombat]

The scouts are sent out with their additional instructions. Yarl catches up on Solomon inspecting the walls.

"Definitely, if the tunnel isn't an option the west gate would be your best way out. Most of their defenses were set up to the east, towards us. The stables are closer to the west gate too- you might be able to steal some horses on the way out."

[Prehysterical]

Nodding, Yarl grows quiet. Once again, he stands upon a precipice that he might not come back from, and Torag might not extend the same mercy twice.

"Solomon, listen... I am sorry. I take partial ownership in your death. If I had not taunted that mad sorcerer and forced him to make a point, you would not have died and the Golangi would not have suffered his wrath.

I have let my temper grow hot in the last few weeks and my tongue flies from an impatient bow. Is this how it feels to lead?"

[RandomWombat]

Solomon turns from the walls to give Yarl his full attention, "It is. Bearing the lives of many people on your shoulders, that's what it means to lead. Of course, no leader can be perfect - we are only men. We can be blind, we can bend, and we can break under the strain. The trick is not letting anyone see how heavy it is. When things are going wrong people will look to their leader, and if the people see their leader waver, so will they."

[Prehysterical]

Yarl looks away from him awkwardly. "I hope that you forgive me for striking a deal with the elves. At the time, I had thought that we would not see home for years. But now, if the Volsagi can be swayed... I might have gotten us involved with a war that we did not need."

[RandomWombat]

"Perhaps. Wars have a way of spilling over where they're not wanted. You did what you had to, to secure our peoples' safety. Maybe not forever, but for now. What's important is what we do from this point on."

[RandomWombat]

The Next Morning...

The party gathers early, before the sun rises. Yarl, Gol, Marcie, Quinten, and Yachi. With them is a small group of three Jorlaskan weaponthanes ready to escort them partway to their destination, and escort Quinten back once he gives them invisibility spells.

"Once I place the spell, you will have five minutes before it wears off. And remember that it won't do anything for noise," the elderly wizard explains as they gear up.

"I can cast two more invisibility spells," Marcie adds.

Yachi pulls her coat closer in the cold surface air. "And I can do it too, but only for a few seconds."

[Prehysterical]

Yarl says his goodbyes with difficulty. Doubt gnaws at the back of his mind as he wonders if he is coming back. With his equipment ready to go, the shieldthane mounts up on Huma.

"All right, let's get moving. The longer we wait, the more we risk running into a Volsagi 'investigation' party."

[RandomWombat]

It is still morning when the group arrives north of the Volsagi tula, obscured by the hilly landscape. "If we go any closer we risk being spotted. My spell should get you to the wall with enough time for the Chieftain to dig you a hole under it. Once you're on the other side you'll have to use their crops for cover."

"The Clan Hall is just past the last edge the crops. We'll be exposed briefly, but the hall itself will be cover from the main road. We can dig into the clan hall under the back wall from there."

"Sorry big guy, but your big hairball probably won't fit under the wall," Yachi indicates Huma.