Ancient adventures

[Strike3]

Fortitude Save: (d20+1)[18]

[Strike3]

Quite alert despite the sudden jolt and also wary of this new visitor, Joshua is not as confident as his companions. He waits silently to watch the scene unfold before him... and discreetly prepares his hand to knock an arrow should this encounter prove unfriendly.

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

Jarred from the travel, Lyolas looks to make sure Aedan is alright from the travel. Then to help gather his bearings, he looks around at the forest. He has heard what the men have said. He makes sure to have a firm grip on his spear. Why did we have to come that way? It is so unnatural and weird. Aedan and I would have a perfectly good time running through forests and over hills to get to here. Once he is finished taking a look around, he focuses in on the new people.

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Lyolas
Fortitude: (1d20+7)[8]
Spot: (1d20+15)[20] (to check surroundings for others in hiding)
Knowledge (nature): (1d20+12)[25] (to recognize the plants and where they might be from)
Aedan
Fortitude: (1d20+6)[17]

[Shademan]

Lyolas quickly recongnizes the forest as Lucanian. The Lucanian druids make the forests more hospitable and comforting so theyre quite diffrent from the Roman forests.

The large man sits down and reach out a hand towards Aedan. The wolf smells on it before it lets him pat it on the head. "its a great companion you got here." he says to the druid with his growling speech. he stands up again. "Welcome to Lucania and to our war-camp. If you would be so kind to follow me to my tent, we have much to discuss." and wiht that he turns and start to walk deeper into the camp, to a large military tent in woodland colours.

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Lyolas spot at least two-three('prolly more) camouflaged men moving in the brushery. They seem to be armed with bows and they watch the party with mild interest.

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

Seeing the men in the woods made Lyolas start to debate whether or not he wanted a fight. There are at least three men focused on us. Probably more. I do not like the look of that path. When Aedan allowed the man to touch him, that convinced Lyolas that it was safe to trust the man. He turns toward his companions and speaks.

"Aedan has rarely let strangers touch him. If he can allow this man to touch his head, I say that he is fine."

Then in a much softer tone, Lyolas adds

"Also, I do not think his friends would like it if we protested."

He gets up and slowly follows the man into the war-camp. Aedan heels by Lyolas's right side.

[Lepre_Khan]

Arkad

After recovering from the consistently frustrating effects of magical travel, Arkad follows the large man, shaking his head at his companions distrust.

"I'm certain all will be explained in time. We owe a debt, we are here to repay it. We are in no position to ask questions.

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Fortitude (d20+12)[19]

[Strike3]

Put at ease by this latest interaction and his companions trust, Joshua follows with more confidence that he has no reason to fear attack from this strange man.

[LongVin]

Dropping his axe to one hand, Varin follows the main group keeping on the lookout for anyone who would try to do them harm.

[Shademan]

youre being led into a large tent. it is only a dim light inside so the large man lights a candle that lights up the entire tent. "magic" he mumbles and and places a map on the table. " I am Cains, the dictator. It is my job to force the Roman out of our lands. Now before I explain why you are here i would like to ask... are ANY of you loyal to Rome and would ANY of you betray your oath to Raneits?" though he tries to sound neutral you get the impression that the wrong answer here will lead to your painful demise. he would prolly not like it if you were lying either...

[LongVin]

"Roman mysticism sunk my ship and killed my people. I have no love for the senate and people of Rome."

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

"I have no loyalties toward any nation. My devotion belongs to nature. As for betraying Raneits, we are blood brothers. Only an amadàn would try to break that bond."

[Lepre_Khan]

Arkad

Bristling at the perceived insult, Arkad replies,

"The fact that we have come so far speaks to the strength of our oaths, and the lengths at which we are willing to go to pay them. Your doubt does each of us a dishonor.

Still, as this is not enough, you should know that I was created eighty-two years ago by Anubis to combat the Children of Jupiter. My blade yearns for the blood of Aeneas, and my shield has sheltered many a foe of the accursed city.

It is your job to remove Rome's influence from your land, it is my job to remove Rome's influence from all lands. I will not be able to rest until the nation is removed from the earth. I will tear down their cities and strew salt through their fields. I will slay their men, and enslave their women. I shall topple their false idols, and curse their pale gods. This I have sworn, and this I swear now before you, dictator. Do not doubt my resolve again.

[Dustfinger]

Javeed

Javeed pulls his helmet off of his head revealing his dark skin.

I'm Persian... enough said. I am also offended by the fact that you think anyone among us would betray an oath to our fellow man. I strongly agree with the views of the egyptians, our beliefs are not too far off.

Javeed then places his helm on the table and leans forward peering at the map.

[Strike3]

"My willingness to fight the Romans is truly passed only by my desire to pay my debt to Raneits. You can expect nothing less than my utmost efforts to come to your aid."

[Shademan]

"Great! great!" Cains smiles "do forgive me but you must see that i have to be careful these days." he then diverts his attention to the map "come closer and see. The Romans have their warcamp very close, less than three hours of walk. as you probarly understand that means that we will clash VERY soon. we are on the defensive and we cannot fight in the open, we must lure them into the forest!" thats where YOU come in.
He looks back up at them from the map. "your objective is to sneak in on the Romans and destroy their general! do NOT kill him. if he's dead he will just be replaced. if he is mentally unbalanced however, he will not be able to command his forces well and he will make errors." Just as Cains finishes speaking a elf burst into the tent "Dictator! We have a major problem!" he say in a dramatic tone. "ohcrapnotyouagain What is it, Earenai?" Cains dont even try to hide the clear expression of annoyance his face puts on in the presence of the elf. "The romans have stored and is making alot of fire scrolls. Fireballs, firewalls, ray's of searing light ANYTHING that burns. i fear they will try to burn down the forest WHITOUT using up their spellcasters." anyone studing the elf for more than two second will get instantely creeped out. he have a aura around himself puts everyone around him at un-ease. or maybe its just the way he looks?
The elf, Earenai, is annoyingly good looking, he is tanned, have brown half-long hair and is clad in to little for comfort. also: he drips of water.
"sorry about that... had to swim..."
"so...mission goes: destroy the general, and destroy the scrolls! questions?"

[Dustfinger]

Javeed

How would you like us to make him unstable? Do you want us to scare him, or deprive him of sleep? Also, on a completely unrelated note, could I trouble you for a backpack?

Javeed thinks for a moment then a brilliant idea dawns on him.

Do you have scrolls of Permanency? I could scare him with a spell then make it permanent.

[Shademan]

"i could MAYBE get my claws on such a scroll. but they are VERY expensive. would you mind sharing what plan you have?" Cains raises a eyebrow and send Javeed a look that tells him that it wasnt a question but a order.

[Lepre_Khan]

Arkad

Clearing his throat, Arkad puts a hand on Javeed's shoulder,

"Hold friend.

Dictator, I'm afraid I must, respectfully, question the wisdom of your plan.

It is true that Rome would eventually be able to replace their commander. However, this would take many weeks, possibly even months. The politics that the Roman's so enjoy would be our greatest ally. During this period the army would be immobilized, awaiting orders. They will also be demoralized and paranoid, the safety of their camp compromised by our warriors. They will live in fear, scurrying 'round like the rats they are. This will allow us to move freely, they will pull back like a scorpion facing it's foe---leaving it's back unguarded.

Then, when the new commander finally arrives, he will need to spend several days getting acquainted with the situation. The terrain, his men, and his foes.

Furthermore, having seen our ability to strike at the very highest levels of power he will be timid, afraid for his own life. He will be wary of launching any sort of invasion knowing that he may well be the one we seek our vengeance."

[Shademan]

"you speak wisdom, most noble... eh...whatever you are..." Cains pauses "that came out a bit wrong..." awkward pause "anyways, Yes i have thought of that allready. Their general is no less than Publius Decius Mus! He stood up against Pyrrhus and was long thought to be dead, but here he is! to crush the last beastmen of Italy. Not only is he a formidable warrior himself but he also have two strange constructs to defend him. and to make it even better he have three consuls in his camp, all ready to take his place if he is assassinated. Besides, a new and terrified general would never follow us into the woods." Cains rubs his forehead "Mr.Raneits said you were up to the task as long as i gave you what you need, within reason, and didnt ask silly questions." Cains start to scratch the back of his ear stressfully.
"oh! youre Mr.Raneits's troupe of heroes! how exiting." the scantly clad elf takes a step closer to the group "pleasure to meat you. I am Earenai." he raises his hand as a greeting(in a rather feminine manner).

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

As soon as the situation was presented, Lyolas was deep in thought of different tactics. His attention was slightly diverted when the gasùr talked about the destruction of the forest. However, since he was an elf and Cains ignored his comment, so did Lyolas. I could try to turn the forest against them. But there are problems with that. There has to be at least few mages that could stop it in some way. We could move like a pack of wolves. Surround the enemy to isolate him and then strike. But we are not allowed to kill. It might still work though.

"A few ideas have come to my mind. However, there are flaws with them like any other plans. Unless we combine ideas together. My first thought was to turn the forest against the Romans. It has the possibility to confuse and scare them. However, it could be easily stopped with magic.

My other main thought is to work like a pack of wolves. We would have to surround and isolate the commander. It might take a while to pull off but isolating him would be a great advantage. Then once he is alone, we strike in some sort of manor.

Another thought that just came to me is to try and take out the replacements before we go after the commander. This might unnerve him slowly, especially if we just make them disappear with out a trace."

[Shademan]

" hm... if they disappeared one after another it would probably scare him abit. But he is brave, if we're lucky he'll be unable to sleep and be haunted by nightmares. Using the forest against the Romans is a tactic we allready use, to some degree. our druids are quite good at what they do. We do not make the trees attack though since, as you said, Romans mages just blast them." Cains could allready tell that he liked the elf. he felt that they both hated Earenai and he is always happy to meet people with common...interests.

[Dustfinger]

Javeed

Javeed sits for a moment a then has a cunning plot.

All we need is attack the camp for a day and have all of the mages waste their spells. Then we have someone sneak in and steal the scrolls while we interupt all of the mages sleep. If they can't rest, they cant cast spells. And once all the mages are powerless,the camp is ours.

Javeed then sits back feeling very acomplished.

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

Listening to Cains' analysis of my plan showed that he has tried to figure out different ways to accomplish this mission. With the mention of druids casting spells, Lyolas looks intently at him and states,

"What are the main spells you have used? Maybe I could suggest different ones. If you have used the same ones over and over again, the Romans will easily prepare themselves. However, by suddenly changing to a completely different style, you might be able to catch them off guard."

Turning to the half-elf, to now address his idea, Lyolas continues,

"There is a main problem with that plan, my companion. I do not require rest in order for me to have spells each day. All I require is an hour of meditation at a certain time. Grant it, we could try to interrupt their hour of meditation. However, they have been working together. I would assume that they would meditate at different times so that the camp will always have at least one fully functioning spellcaster. It would also be difficult to interrupt someone's meditation. Most, if not all, mages make sure that they will be able to complete their meditation."

Lyolas now turns to his fellow travelers. He waits patiently to listen to any other plans that are presented to the group. Unconsciously, he starts petting Aedan's head.

[Shademan]

"wait a second now, what was you called yourself again?" Cains asks Javeed

[Dustfinger]

Javeed

I call myself Javeed the Oneiromancer, Lord of Dreams. But before you ask, I havn't figured out how to actualy get into the minds of creatures and change their dreams. I can just tell desires and thoughts by learnign about dreams. Although I will soon perfect the arts of manipulation.

[LongVin]

Varin watches and listens silently. Sorcerous dogs, relying on mysticism and faerie magics to do a warriors job.

[Strike3]

It is clear to Joshua that his best course of action is to quietly take in all that is going on around him. He knows that his skills will be an asset due to the stealthy nature of whatever mission lies before them. But he must gain the respct of his elder companions and to speak now would be foolish.

[Shademan]

"right, so the mission is then: destroy the generals psychological health, and destroy the scrolls. and most importantly DO NOT BE DETECTED! if a single legionary spots you he must be silenced before he can start a alarm." Cains looks upon the group and nod "i think we might have a chance at them after all. just you make sure that there are nothing that can prove your presence in their camp." Cains put out the candle with a quick blow. "Earenai. go fetch a backpack and see if the druids have any scrolls of permanency. if they dont then see with Quickpaw. speed!" The elf darts out the tent.

[TKDfirefly]

Lyolas

Interested in more than just the group's objective, Lyolas excuses himself from the group to follow Earenai. Aedan follows by his friend's side hoping for something more exciting than just sitting and listening to everyone talking. However, they make sure to not catch up with the boath elf. Lyolas only wants to see where the druids and this Quickpaw are. I would just let Aedan track him later but that gasùr probably runs around this camp all day. Aedan might get confused and then feel bad with not acomplishing his goal. I do not want him to be sad for my sake. As soon as he finds out this information, he returns to the group with the thought of talking to the druids later.

If any one asks what that was about, Lyolas replies with "I just wanted to know where the druids are to discuss spells and tactics with them." That is the truth, but not the whole truth.

[Shademan]

Earenai runs into the same three men that was at the portal. After a quick (and somewhat uninteresting) chat he learns that the druids do not have such a scroll, and so he continues. He walks back to the small stone-circle where you arrived and heads into the shrubbery. less than fifteen meters into the woods he stops and is startled by the sudden appearance of a man right in front of him.
"good evening" the man barks with a fell smile. He is clad in camouflage clothes, solid boots and a bandoleer. His facial features is pointy and his red, spike hair goes backwards as if he is in a constant wind.

DC 5 to hear what they say if Lyolas is within fifteen feet.

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"it's not evening." Eareneai say in a slightly nervous manner "does it matter?" the man rasps and his eyes light up with something that most certainly is NOT sanity. "lay it off, quickpaw! i just came to see if you had any scrolls of permanency." Earenai fidgets. "hrrrr.... those be very rare. very rare. i go trough SUCH hardships to get my little....baubles. yes. and more. much much more..." Quickpaw starts to circle around the nervous elf. "just give me the scroll and il make sure Cains pay you." Earenai tries. "oh, but that would be to easy... is it just me or is something happening here?"

Roll Hide check, mr.druid and wolf!