Water Hornet wheezed silently as others recounted details of the fortress' defenses.

"Good thinking," he said to Sun Fox, "I wondered what was that you were doing back there. I think this might be a good distraction to use now. Because once we're inside, we'll still have at least once ace up our sleeves." With that, Hornet produced a plain potion from his backpack - the oily substance inside could be easily identified as Mustow. "Who would've thought I'd keep it all the way to this place," muttered Hornet to himself.

"Anyway, if we do attempt to create a distraction of any kind - and I think this is the only way to go - anyone coming openly to the guards would be likely attacked instantly. At least that's what I'd do as a guard: if anything out of ordinary happened while a stranger approached the gates, I'd hack and slash first and ask question later."

Just saying that smoke distraction is a good idea, but very dangerous if we send someone openly to the gates.

Renora snorted.

"If we were going to use me as a decoy, of course you would wait to use your own distractions until I was inside and clear from suspect - I could even say that some killers had been chasing me, to give your assault a better justification while at the same time deflecting the suspicion of you actually being Kai. The two ruses need not interfere with each other when they can enhance each other instead."

She offered a sharp smile to Hornet, as if to dismiss him; that earned her an annoyed glare from Sun Fox, ut then Dawn Sword moved forward and asked Hornet, watching the potion in his hands:

"What does that do? I've never seen the like of it."

"I used some of that stuff myself in the Darklands" remarked Swift, gesturing at the vial.  "It helped against..."
Her voice suddenly trailed off, her expression looking noticeably uncomfortable.

She glanced briefly at Sun Snake with a momentary hint of a saddened look then back at Dawn Sword, her expression rapidly returning to normal, although the emotionless matter-of-fact tone in her voice after that seemed a little too forced.
"The liquid inside instantly evaporates into a choking smoke on contact with the air, if the vial is opened or smashed.  It's probably more effective at close range, unless the smoke is manipulated with Nexus."


OOC: Yep, that's actually kind of a sore point with Swift these days.  Especially after Sun Snake's little jab back at the Maakengorge, hehe ;)

Anyways, yep.  Mustow.  Useful stuff!  Wish I had a lot more of it! :)

"So I could be the sacrificial Kai here?" Fox said raising an eyebrow. "Are we sure that would work? After all Vyctar doesn't exactly need me in his grand plan"

Sun Fox turned an annoyed glare on Sabre Fox and said, just the slightest edge in her voice:

"I just said I don't want any of us to die, weren't you listening? Why would you even say something like that? Nobody is sacrificable here!"

It was clear that Sabre Fox's words had somewhat irked the Kai Lady.

"That was a figure of speech" Fox replied glaring at Sun Fox. "You know full well ill throw myself into the lions den but not for if its not worth it! Hence my question"

he then folded his arms.

"And anyway, your a fine one to talk! All this not sacrificing ourself didnt matter earlier did it? We both know full both well trying to stop that boulder by yourself at very best would have broken both your arms and legs in the attempt. Most likely it would have killed you! So dont know attempt to take the moral highground here! Practice what you preach comes to mind!"

It was clear by the rather unusal for him, tone in his voice, he would not back down on this one.

"I understand the sentiment," said Sun Snake quietly, but with no less steel in his voice thna Sabre fox nor sun Fox. "But Sabre Fox is correct. There must be balance in all we do. We dishonour the memories of those fallen if we do not act to make sure it does not happen in future no matter the cost to us. No one can deny the strength you are showing with this."

Sun Snake sighed. "But we equally dishonour them if we cause an equal mistake in the other direction. Some of us may not come out of this alive. We will all act as one to ensure that it will not happen lightly, or easily. We must believe that we can achieve this as one with us surviving. But I would not wish another to die or the mission to fail if I was doomed. And I must assume no matter how hard it will be to continue that others feel the same. It all comes down to honouring the wishes of those living and dead above our own. It is a difficult line to walk."

Sun Snake walked up to Sun Fox and whispered something quietly to her.

Renora's retort hadn't seemed to annoy Water Hornet; in fact, it'd looked like it had brought up an idea to the Magnakai, for Hornet had looked at the fortress with a deeply thoughtful expression. He'd merely nodded at Swift's explanation to Dawn Sword, having muttered: "Exactly what Swift says..."

"Ruses can enhance each other," he interjected into the ongoing, and rather heated, debate, repeating Renora's words. "Ideally, we'll need to combine a distraction and a way to cover our approach - thus, I'm thinking about the following sequence: let Lady Nematah approach the gate openly and tell some more or less believable story; like there's a group of wizards on her heels. The moment she is past the gate, we cover the battlements with the collected smoke around the main gate; meanwhile, using our abilities, we raise a dust storm around one of the side entrances, but not very far from the main gate, and under its cover make a run for the doors. If the storm looks natural enough, hopefully the smoke draws main attention and we can get to the side entrance unseen."

Hornet looked around. "Well, that's all I have for the first part of the plan, so far." He smiled nervously.

"Sounds good" replied Swift.  "And if Vyctar knows of Valador, he may think that 'wizards' could mean Valador and some co-conspirators have turned against him.  Though it might depend on how much he knows we're capable of.  As well as what research of his own into Kai abilities he might have done before we ever crossed paths with him, and what he has seen himself on past battlefields...  Would the possibility be likely to cross his mind that any unexpected events could be part of our own plans?"

Ignoring the heated debate between Sun Fox and Sabre Fox, she turned to look at Sun Snake.
"I don't know how much of an impression you made on him when you worked with him before, but would he definitely be expecting you to come here after him?  If so, it would be safer to assume that he knows more about our abilities than we'd expect him to, with regards to tailoring his defences specifically to defeat our attempts to reach him."

She looked up at the walls with a frown.
"I've never met him and you have, so you would know the workings of his mind better than I.  But since he hasn't encountered me and Silver Raven before either, he might not be expecting you to have access to our abilities...
As much as I hate to admit it, this is probably the first place I've encountered that I have no idea of how to infiltrate...  I certainly couldn't manage it on my own.  If you have a plan though, I'm willing to play a part.  Though, as Renora said, my own ability to go unnoticed may be slightly... compromised, in this place..."


OOC: Just putting my own lack of a clue into IC wording. :)
Also throwing out the possibility that, if I was Vyctar, and I knew Sun Snake and his merry band were coming after me, I'd immediately be suspicious of anything that looked like "tampering" with my defences...
Then again, since we know Rankhar didn't make it back here to report any info he learned about Team Swift, then you probably have a couple of cards to play that he might not recognise :)
Although now that I think about it, he might think Rain Feather is still with you too...

"The problem with the wizards comment may be that it focuses any Nadziranim presence in there. They may then be able to locate our auras if truly focused on an attack. However, a show of magical power might be a thing..."

Sun Snake sighed. "My idea in full was as follows. Remember, this was not one I was giving a high priority to in terms of success. Renora would be very flamboyant with an indication of her 'arriving', as you have pointed out we could use Nexus to make that very obvious. I would imagine the actual illusion to create would be one of an enormous zlanbeast of even some dragon looking creature. One that would hover close to the ground. One that, say, would create enough dust and shadow that the rest of you could use it to shelter from the looks above. And hopefully something obvious enough that if Water Hornet used his Animal Control and I used Psi-surge to push those Kraan getting too close away, it would be an obvious reason."

"So Renora and Sabre would walk towards the gate. Sabre would have my body across his shoulder - clearly run through with my own sword - and with a banner showing Vyctar's new banner along with the black dagger tied to it. I would hope such a sight would not be shot on sight. For one a demonstration of power, another of solidarity, may stay their hand. Once the group was close enough to the walls, Renora could make a show of dismissing the mount as a creature of magic, giving the other group the chance to get to the end of the walls and move towards one of the other doors."

"Vyctar did not truly believ Sabre Fox's ruse until I threw enough reasons for doubt to make it seem plausable, and yet Vyctar still went along with it. Then man does not mind going along with a ruse if it helps him. And whether proving a possible adversary is helpless, or getting two prisoners to walk willingly in to his presence, I would hope the man would be confident enough in his abilities to take that chance. And thus allow us to show the rest of you the way in. As you say, he only knows three of us - another fighter, a younger Kai, and a psychic. He will not suspect magic nor someone else other than myself with superior powers of stealth. If Renora can pull even a small amount of the Nadziran attention away form us, one of the sources to detect what we do, this might be enough."

"Otherwise, we discussed the possibility of double bluffs before. If we have ways of projecting magic illusion or something else to another place, we might fool those with other senses that indeed I have other Kai close, but that you are all still outside the keep on the other side. If Vyctar has figured out the magical magnet he possesses, then perhaps placing that elsewhere will make him confident he knows the location of us. A powerful magic weapon or magical presence would also pull the magnet - creating two false illusions."

Sun Fox was about to answer Sabre Fox when Sun snake interveed; his words seemed to affect er, for the Kai Lady deflated and said, her tone soft:

"You're right, both of you. I'm sorry, I just let myself get carried away."

While the situation settled, and more ideas where thrown around, Renora openly scoffed at the display of emotion from the Magnakai.

"I still think that I would do much better alone than with any of you buffoons coming after me. Then again, the lives you're risking are your own, so do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to bail you out if I would need to risk my life to do it, because I will always place my own survival above yours."

Silver Raven frowned, then spoke, his tone serious:

"That matters little, wytch - we'll make our own decision, your input isn't required."

Then he turn ed to Sun Snake and added:

"However, I'm not sure how much your plan is workable, Snake - Ferret is capable of crafting illusionary images, but I'm not. Don't get me wrong, Hornet plan of using nexus to create dust clouds in addition to using the smoke would surely be effective, and the dragon idea is good, but how would we go about putting it into practice?"

"I can only tell you what I can do, and suggest what might be needed for the ruse. Only everyone else knows how far they can push their powers."

Sun Fox nodded.

"Indeed we need to push ourselves if we are to succeed here."

She paused, before asking, to the group at large:

"So, do we have a working plan of action yet?"

"Water Hornet's idea would seem to keep us all together. I think we can best trigger the defenses as one team rather than split. If we can use our abilities with fire to flare up then extinguish the torches of the ground patrols, this may buy us some time to get in one of the side doors. The cloud of dust might be enough to mask us. If we can then push the Kraan away from it as if it were so unnatural they feared it, we might be able to dissuade the air patrols from seeing us. However, the Drakkar might suspect it a cover unless we could add something to the dust. Can we shoot lightning or something else from it? Enough to make the dust storm itself is a weapon and attack not just cover for us?"

"Perhaps easier if we can create an illusion of an enemy who appeared to be manipulating the cloud by magic, directing it towards the defenders" remarked Swift thoughtfully.
"An illusory enemy who could conveniently appear to be easily defeated by the defenders, shot down by an arrow from the guards on the walls perhaps...  Then again I don't know if we have the power to create such an illusion convincingly.  Shining Peacock could, no doubt.  But I'm not sure I'd trust him with us on this one anyway."


OOC: Just a thought that occurred to me.  We all sneak inside while the guards are distracted shooting at shadows...  I don't know if it's feasible though...  At least not without Frost Ferret's illusion magic.  Even then it would probably be too draining...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Wed 15 Apr 2015.

Silver Raven seemed thoughtful, but eventually he answered:

"Well, while I can't create any such illusion, I do can provide a bit of a light show if it is necessary, by using Net and Lightning Hand."

He paused, then turned to Sun Snake and asked:

"How powerful a psychic are you, Sun Snake? Could you make them think that things are there, when they actually aren't?"

You don't have anybody with either illusion magic or mirages, Swift Fox, so what you're asking for cannot be done.

"could we simply not try and plant a suggestion in the Kraans minds that there is a threat coming in on the opposite side of the fortress? no doubt they would then respond and less eyes would be on us as we cross the grounds"

Speaking to Sabre, sun Snake said, "An idea, but I fear that anything like that the Drakkar might have been warned against. Vyctar might know our powers with animals too well. I think we might need to give a plausable explation."

sun Snake then thought of something. "Of course, going back to the ideas of bluff and double bluff, we might make this huge demonstration here, and then make some other less obvious move on the other side of the fortress. Trusting to the Drakka to pick up on it. In that case, who would notice someone barking an order in Giak that the Kraans all followed. Each Drakkar might think the others are moving deliberately, and so not comment on the eagerness of their own mounts to go look for the 'real' attack on the other side?"


sun Snake then turned back to Silver Raven. "I'm sorry, you have enoucntered how I can link to willing minds and try and share sensations and images. I don'#t think any of you were foolwed they were your own memories, let alone womething you were already seeing. I might try to push my abilities in that regard, but certainly I cannot for the moment convince many Drakkar they are seeing anything different."

Sun Snake frown and seemed to lapse inside himself, as  if already trying to work out a way in which he was wrong, or a way to move towards such abilities as Shining Peacock had showed.


Yeah, for the moment Sun Snake can't create mental illusions like that, it's a specific Psi-surge improvement and I'm not sure how easy it would be to make it wide ranging ...perhaps Mind Fort would help with it, I'm not sure... :(
This message was last edited by the player at 18:36, Wed 15 Apr 2015.

"Really?" said Water Hornet surprised, "I thought Dusk Rat mentioned that her ability to control and lead animals was quite a surprise to Drakkarim...? Anyway, I tend to lean towards the option that we create two 'disturbances' and let our enemy guess which one is a bluff and what is really our attempt to access the fortress."

He looked at Renora. "More and more I tend to agree with...Lady Nematah, that we should let her try her luck with approaching the guards directly. Then we use the release of the smoke as the distraction and the dust storm as the actual cover to let us approach one of the side entrances." He looked at Sabre Fox and then Sun Snake. "And I suggest we repulse Kraans from the smoke at the main gate to make their Drakkar riders focus on it."

"Rankhar did not realise Dusk Rat's power, but Vyctar may have. And even if he did not before, he may do now with what he is undertaking."

Sun Snake shrugged. "Either way, if we repulse them from the distraction they will either pursue it and be distracted, or not and so not be able to reveal to those on the ground it is a distraction."

Sun Fox nodded, as if agreeing with the general plan as Sun Snake and Water Hornet had detailed it, but before she could speak, Renora's voice overrode her with her usual cold, cutting tone:

"As entertaining as seeing you fumble around is, I grow bored of it. Have you decided what you're going to do, so that I can finally move?"

Basically, I need you to outline the plan in its entirety, including the exact order of every indiviual action you're going to take, and then I'll tell you what to roll to put it into motion.

"There's an enchantment built into the gates" remarked Swift.  "It seems to protect the gates from being damaged or battered down, and sends up signal lights to warn the defenders about any damage.  As far as I can tell, we should be ok as long as we don't damage the gates in any way..."

She narrowed her eyes and peered at the area leading up to the gate.
"I can't see anything else" she added.


OOC: Hoping that roll was enough so I didn't miss anything...  ;)

"The time is up," said Water Hornet quietly, but with such determination as if Kai himself had spoken to the Magnakai.

"A bad plan is better than none," said Hornet turning to Renora, "yes - we believe in such silly wisdoms in the Order, should you ask." He grew visibly more serious, though, as he went on. "Lady Nematah, I suggest...no I ask you to use your wit and confront the guards at the gates openly. Do or say anything that will convince them that there is indeed a group of magicians - or maybe just a single one - pursuing you. Please."

Hornet glanced at Sun Snake and looked considerably longer at Sun Fox, before continuing. "We, meanwhile, prepare to penetrate the fortress' defenses."

The young Magnakai pointed towards the gate. "We will try to access the fortress through one of the side entrances - either the one right by the main gate, or the one along the wall to the left." He looked to Renora again. "I will not lie that I'm doing this for your own good - although I'm sure even you will understand, and perhaps even appreciate this: I won't tell you which entrance we will choose." Hornet rested his one hand on the hilt of his named dagger, while fishing out a Gold Crown from his pouch with the other. "Simply because I do not know," he said, looked Renora in the eye and tossed a coin. "We'll let the chance decide," he said as he deftly caught the spinning coin in his closed fist.

"Now, I suggest you put some distance between us and yourself - to not reveal our position - and set off in ten minutes. We should be ready by that time. Or do you insist on hearing the plan?" Hornet's voice showed he held no hostility to the witch (at least regarding this issue), but was convinced that he was doing the right thing.

OOC: I'm not that much concerned about Renora hearing our plan, but it is in Hornet's character to try minimizing the amount of information revealed to an outsider regarding Kai abilities etc.

And more importantly, I wanted to ask Shadow the following questions :)
1) Based on the image from Msg #816 in OOC: ninth symphony thread: I assume we're at the south gate (the one in the bottom). Right?

2) Is it possible to create a dust storm wide enough to cover both side entrances marked with capital 'S' below in its area of effect?

   \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \       S                      s       / / / / / / / / /
    \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \               S G                  / / / / / / / / /
     \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \                                  / / / / / / / / /
      \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \                                / / / / / / / / /
       \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \____________________>_________/ / / / / / / / /
        \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \__________________<_____________/ / / / / / / /
         \ \ \ \ \ \ \______________________>___________/ / / / / / /
          \ \ \ \ \ \____________________<_______________/ / / / / /
           \ \ \ \ \________________________>_____________/ / / / /
            \ \ \ \______________________<_________________/ / / /
             \ \ \__________________________>_______________/ / /
              \ \________________________<___________________/ /
               \____________________________>_________________/


My ambition is for the dust storm to allow us choose which side entrance we want to approach. Since we have multiple Nexus wielders and two artefacts allowing use of Nexus, I thought it might be possible.

"Mention the Deathstaff," Sun Snake suggested to Renora. "I spoke of it to Vyctar and he did not seem to know nor care of it any more than to seek it to help us. However, the Nadziranim that aid him may well know of it. Or he may know of it more now and realise his foolishness in letting it go. If you suggest someone weilding it has come to them, that might aid us in them takign the attack seriously, and suggest why someone might be attackign them now. I would not drop Valador's name. Valador knew one of his magnets came this way. I will not rule out that Vyctar is so far gone on his path that Valador might not have been able to reach out, or was already some part of the plan. It would be foolish to simply hope they on opposite sides of all of this. Bets not to risk another shock and also create a hole in the lie."

The wytch shrugged at the show of distrust, then said, her tone aloof:

"Do as you wish, I care little. Just don't put my life in danger, for you'd regret it."

And with that, Renora nodded at Sun Snake's suggestion, turned her back to the group, and disappeared under the cover of the trees, leaving the Kai alone to plan.

You are facing the southern gate, yes. Two Nexus users applying a push will suffice to create the cloud - you need to tell me if you want a widespread cloud (which would cover five of the eight sectors in the map I gave you, and be 15 meters tall) or a more concenrated, thick one (30 m tall, but covering only two and a half sectors of the map). The walls, for reference, are 25 m tall; for any imperial measure user, 1 m = 3 ft., so those measure are 45, 90 and 75 feet, respectively. :)