The entire bottom floor of the Inner Temple is eerily silent as the Celestials and followers finalize their plans and move out. The builder bug army must travel at least double the distance compared to the others headed to the south entrance of the central column. It is decided that the central group take the most direct route possible, while the distraction group takes a slightly more roundabout course to prevent the groups from being caught together. The communicators Danae altered can always be used for contact if something goes wrong.

Danae's eclectic group departs westward from the barracks, including the Blue Stripes (who follow Danae's orders in terms of marching placement), the ever-brooding Eternal, Veldygar and his demons (who prefer to stay close to him), Third and the machine-spirits (who prefer to occupy the middle, conferring silently with Third or one another). Their path will take them as directly west as possible until they reach the north-south diameter, then northward until the central column barrier.

Then Dena and Evamae lead the Ruby Warriors some distance southward before also turning west. Evamae's memory of the map and direction sense guides them through the corridors while Dashu serves as lookout and ambush planner.

---

OOC: For now we will be working with intervals of 1 action/minute. It will take 6 minutes for the central column group to get where they need to be. It will take 15 minutes for the much larger distraction group to get to the western stairs. I will make background rolls per interval determining whether groups meet with any opposition.

If you haven't already, make sure your next posts establish:
- Your group's marching order (particularly who is in front and who takes the rear)
- Whether you will be trying to be less noticeable or more
- Whether you'll be keeping attentive of your surroundings

If you stunt an action you will repeat for several minutes, I will use the bonus for each roll until I pause to give a status report.

"Attend me while we devise our strategy, please." Dena instructs Evamae as the procession begins at a brisk walk, just a bit short of a run.  "While our goal is to retreat and draw out the enemy, that doesn't mean our task will end when they charge.  I intend to win this battle if at all possible, regardless of my willingness to save our lives in an emergency.  We're going to have a problem with archers since we lack our own ranged attack, therefore I'm going to take up a formation of ordered columns that are close enough to support each other but wide enough to be able to sidestep and force the waste of arrows.  In the meantime I want a vanguard of rubies, say about ten of them, about a hundred yards ahead and the same behind to watch for ambushes while we approach.  I see no reason to try to conceal our movements, after all we're trying to draw their attention."

Skirmish formation.
More noticeable.
Rubies in front and rear to soak ambushes.
Well we'll sorta stay attentive but Dena's not all that proficient in that area. . .

Danae nodded as Dena, Dashu, Evamae and the Rubies went off to begin their part of the distraction, then looked off to the side.  "Alright, let's begin moving as soon as they're fully underway--the Blue Stripes will serve as our rear-guard, they'll be able to react quickly, and possibly provide a little cover for us if something approaches from that direction.  Beyond that..."

She taps her chin a few times.  "---Eternal, was it?  We'll have you take the lead in this situation, stay quiet,, and stay silent, and try to give us advance warning at the very least if anything's coming along.  Feel free to take out targets of opportunity if they arise, but /Only/ if it doesn't comprimise our element of surprise--if there's any doubt that you'll be able to either destroy your target, or at least prevent them from sending out any warning, we'll stick with a general warning.  I'll come along just behind you, I'm a fair shot with a firewand, and in an emergency, I can probably get a few shots off before the other side becomes wise.  Veldygar and Third should come along behind me, you both strike me as being a bit softer targets, and between me and the Blue Stripes, you should have a little time to bring up any defenses before anything can reach you.  Keep a sharp eye out, and let's try to avoid further battle as long as we can--the closer we get to the Gatekeeper without bringing the wrath of the entire temple down on us, the better our shot of pulling this scheme off."


--Trying to stay stealthy, using Eternal as a sneaky pointman, and the Blue Stripes as camoflauge on the rearguard

--Danae will personally do her best to stay as aware of the situation as possible, she's sort of the commander of this little group at this point, and she'd need to be ready to adjust the tactical situation if something crops up
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Wed 26 Aug 2009.

Dashu looks at Dena and asks, "What do you need me to do?"

Third nods quietly, walking alongside with Veldygar, its eyes running along the temple, correlating it with memories of the temple layout, watching for any anomalies, passages that should not be there, passages that should be there but are not, its mind humming with activity as it prepares. The Earth Gatekeeper... It communes silently with Harmony, subvocalizing as it talks over the plans for convincing the Earth Gatekeeper to join with the Celestials once again. There are suggestions that it has begun to believe the Immaculate propaganda... If so, the time spent with those Immaculate monks they caught may end up being useful. Its mind works in two halves, one focused on the battle ahead, one focused on the world at the moment.

OOC: Third will be staying around the middle of the group, near Danae, where it can keep an eye on the entire group. It is staying relatively stealthy, trying to keep its eyes out for enemies and such.

"For now I would appreciate your efforts in helping us to watch for ambushers.  As I'm deliberately making as much noise as possible to attract attention, I suspect an ambush is inevitable and it will be greatly beneficial to see it coming.  Once battle is well and truly joined I foresee two reasonable options for you, I can split off a group of Rubies to follow you if you'd prefer, or you could hide in a dark corner and wait for a good chance to put an arrow through who ever's commanding our enemies.  Most likely he'll be wearing the largest and most impressive hat, I don't imagine he'll be hard to spot.  If you can disrupt their leadership and communication, they will be unable to hold a formation and we will be able to rip through their lines."

Dashu listens to Dena's options and then looks down at  his claws.  "Yeah, arrows aren't going to happen.  I've never used a bow in my life.  If I can get close enough to use the claws, I will, but other than that, I'll have to resort to being the eyes and ears... unless you want to set up an ambush and let me be the bait."

"Ah, my apologies.  I thought I'd seen you using one back in the mining camp." Dena ducks her head slightly before continuing, "Well then, it's unlikely that you can attack their commander without great risk to yourself.  And I don't think an ambush will work, I'm trying to draw their attention and hiding will only risk them going after the others.  I think remaining our eyes and ears really is the best option, then."

"Sounds good.  I'm ready when you are,"  Dashu says confidently.

Toward central column, south barrier (Danae, Third, Eternal, Veldygar, Blue Stripes, demons, machine gods)

The group moves on with Eternal at front, at the moment keeping well hidden. Danae is next, Third and Veldygar behind and the Blue Stripes at the rear. Garnet Cog and Harmony remain close to their respective Exalt companions. Gugoona (metody) is still dematerialized, trailing behind Veldygar, while Dezephiel (tomescu) remains material and as close by him as space allows, refusing to trust its master's protection to anyone besides itself.

Unfortunately, their progress is immediately hindered as Third - in an attempt to remain more inconspicuous - trips and falls, making a very loud sound.[Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: man, the botches love you so much...] After regaining its balance and composure, Third puts all its effort toward observing its immediate surroundings. Its memories of the adamant corridors - bolstered by Harmony's aid and unbidden flashbacks from Shining Eye - tells Third that they have not changed much if at all over the millenia. The ability to alter adamant is something that has been lost to the current age. This makes Third's navigation sense reliable enough to cut precious minutes from the journey to the south barrier.

After a minute of swift travel, the Sentinels with their far-ranging eyes report to Danae that there is a small group of humanoids headed their way, estimated arrival 5 minutes. Both Third and Danae's keen senses confirm this observation by the 3rd minute; their consensus is that the small group is light to medium armored, coming from the east (behind the group), and trying (but currently failing) to remain inconspicuous. They are no more than Magnitude 1, giving the impression that they are scouts, and may not engage -- but may attract a larger group toward them later.

Eternal is well suited as a silent killer but not so much as a scout, concentrating more on moving stealthily and keeping his eyes focused ahead. So focused, in fact, that he nearly misses something important as the group turns into the final corridor leading toward the barrier... [Private to Broken Eternal; Danae Adela; Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: The three of you notice the entire corridor up to the first barrier is trapped. Eternal notices it first because he very nearly steps right THROUGH it. There are two things you notice immediately: ahead of you, a pair of grooves in the ceiling and walls about a yard apart, and a sensation of "heaviness" as you step closer - like the pull of a magnet on metal.]

Toward western major staircase (Dena, Dashu, Evamae, Rubies)

Evamae agrees to Dena's basic plan and passes the orders onward. She communicates in insect language, all gesture and chemical, and her message traverses through the army. We are here to draw attention. Let us make sure we are conspicuous, yet not susceptible to arrow fire. From now on listen to Tervila Dena's orders as if they are my own. She does remind Dena that with her dual shock pikes she has a ranged attack, but the range is nowhere near as good as a bow would be, in any case.

Soon they are on the move, a large column of Rubies with Dena and Evamae at the center. The corridors are not terribly wide, so in skirmish formation there are only two Rubies abreast. Two smaller groups take up the front and rear as vanguards, ten apiece, consisting of the least damaged and most defense-oriented. Their six-legged march, executed in strict formation, create enough of a disturbance that the floor tremors as they pass.

Among them, Dashu is well hidden and completely unseen. He listens and watches for signs of the enemy. He can hear two patrols still hundreds of yards away, each one does not seem incredibly large compared to their army (about Magnitude 2). One is patrolling southward, another westward. Reports from the builder bugs, who seem capable of sensing vibrations in the ground to a certain extent, seem to agree with Dashu.

Then, around 3 or 4 minutes in Dashu suddenly loses all sense of the enemy.[Private to Peleps Dashu: Awareness botch.] Where have they gone? What have they done? The forward and rear guard report the south patrol moving away, but the western one has... stopped. Evamae, quietly translating the bugs' findings, advises Dena that there may be a force waiting ahead of them. Should they approach head on? Should they try to divert around, or split the army down lesser corridors to try and pincer them?

---

OOC: Made a bunch of rolls, considering all that people have said they'd do since my last post. I saw no use of charms mentioned, so all my rolls were made without them. If you will use Charms PM me in the group PM and I'll adjust just this once, but remember to say you're using 'em next time.

Time-wise, the groups are paused at the beginning of 4 minutes, though I rolled for 6. I decided that this would be a better point to pause for reactions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:45, Thu 17 Sept 2009.

Dashu relayed the size and last known locations of the units to Dena.  "Damn it! I can't believe I lost them,"  He thought to himself.

[Private to GM: waiting on Dena to do anything else.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Tue 15 Sept 2009.

Third's face turns red at the sudden moment of clumsiness, its eyes darting up to see if Eternal noticed, before it realizes the strangeness of what it's just done, standing up in as dignified a pose as it can muster, before continuing on, focusing on the area around them, occasionally suggesting short cuts, and warning away from meaningless time-wasting corridors. It looks towards the others, and speaks softly. " There appears to be some sort of trap ahead. Should we attempt to use it as a way to fight these scouts? We may be able to discover its function by using them to set it off."

"Do you mean the Dragon-Blooded may not know of its existence? Or that they have little control over it?" Veldygar asked. "Because I scarcely see how it could be used to fool them..."

"Third suggests defeating them, interrogating them, and then testing the trap with them." Third clarifies itself, as it looks quietly over the area where the trap seems to be based, puzzling over it silently.

"I'm not sure I'd want to go /That/ far..." Danae thoughtfully noted, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.  "But we can undoubtedly use their presence to our own advantage here--they'll have to pass through the trap zone--and in doing so, they'll need to either deactivate it, or bring along tokens or trinkets that negate it's effects.  Either way, if we bunker down, lie in wait for them to show up, and then ambush them once they show their colors, we've got a good shot at bypassing this little trap...  I'd be careful about interrogation though, they've probablly all got communication links at this point, and we'll have to assume they'd rather die then 'Betray' their brothers..."

She takes a glance around.  "Okay, with the numbers though, and them needing to move in tight quarters, I should be able to take them out with a surprise flame barrage.  We should hide the majority of our numbers in some of the side-rooms, and the rest of us hide in the corridor, using what cover we can--then wipe them out with a barrage of ranged attacks...  At any rate, we don't have too much time to chat--it seems the consensus at the moment is 'Eliminate' anyway--so anyone who isn't confident in either their ability to remain somewhat hidden, or capable of ranged attacks, should duck into a side room until the rest of us are done."

[Private to Danae Adela: just added a tag :)]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:49, Thu 17 Sept 2009.

At central column, south barrier (Danae, Third, Eternal, Veldygar, Blue Stripes, demons, machine gods)

Third examines the trap closely as Danae arranges for a plan to turn the scouts' supposed element of surprise against them. [Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: 11 sux! Nice! Well, you discover the trap has two parts to it. The grooves you see in the walls and ceiling indicate a descending wall that will trap those that step between it and the central column barrier. (It'll have a delay, so it can trap groups--that means it probably has sensors on both sides of those grooves)

Once trapped, those within will feel the air growing crushingly heavy. It will become hard to breathe and air will eventually be removed altogether, suffocating all beings who require it. Even should the trap wall remain ajar, the 'gravity' effect will still do an recurring amount of environmental damage as well as slow movements and reactions within (a dice penalty). You're also certain that the more metal or magical material one wears, the more hindering the penalty will be.

Exact numbers aren't given yet mostly cause I haven't thought them up ;) but this trap is supposed to be something appropriate to a powerful Manse, enough to kill a mortal and severely hinder Exalts. At worst, you'll have to puzzle how to open the south barrier as quick as possible to get out of the trap zone, but you've got a lot to work with here: natural high dice pools for Lore, Blue Stripes for muscle, and machine spirits specializing in both software and hardware. ]Harmony remains loyally with Third, aiding its analysis with her knowledge of Five Coils AI security protocols, while Garnet Cog offers her own insights from a mechanical point of view. In terms of combat capability, Garnet Cog is more capable in this than Harmony, so the hardware spirit offers to hinder or curse the coming scouts, particularly if they are using any magitech arms or armor.

Unfortunately, of all gathered the only ones with a ranged attack are Veldygar (with his shock pike), Dezephiel (with its bow arms) and Danae herself. The Blue Stripes start moving away into the nearest side rooms, as Danae's current plan requires either stealth or ranged abilities and they have neither. There are two nearby rooms that are viable, one westward (and closer by) and another southward, on a corridor perpendicular to the one the scouts are expected to approach from.

---

OOC: Since I'm hoping to use some mass combat to hurry this along, I'll need to know who will be included in Danae's unit, who will fight solo, and who will be hiding / doing non-combat actions. I won't decide for you, so if you don't post before my next update I'll assume you are inactive.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:42, Tue 22 Sept 2009.

Toward western major staircase (Dena, Dashu, Evamae, Rubies)

Evamae's first suggestion is to use the advantage of numbers to crush whoever lies ahead. Since they are fighting in corridors, an attack from a single direction would be to the advantage of the enemy, especially if they have Dragon-blooded defenders on par with Stern Firmament. So she suggests splitting the army into three parts and attempting to strike them from multiple sides as well as block off any retreat.

Given the abilities Dashu has shown, he is all but expected to operate solo. A Night Caste could do a lot as an unseen operative - try to reestablish exactly where the enemy is waiting (and pass on that info through the earpiece communicators), attempt to quietly sabotage their defenses, or even sneak up the western stairs while they are less defended! Such options are suggested to Dashu, though both Dena and Evamae seem to put at lot of trust in his final decision.

Unfortunately the group is currently working on incomplete intelligence. All they know is that a force waits there, and that it is more significant than the scouts Dashu had sensed earlier. However, if they wait too long to initiate the attack, the situation can get even less advantageous.

[Private to Peleps Dashu: Hopefully the post helps... you can roll for both Awareness (to make up for that silly botch) and Stealth, if you'll still be stealthy. Just let me know where you'll be headed to, what Charms you've got active, etc. I'll deal with the rest.

Oh, and if you stay with the Rubies, you'll get a reduction to Stealth difficulty. They're big and bulky so are great to hide with.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:15, Sat 19 Sept 2009.

Veldygar held out his shock pike. "I can do ranged. So can Dezephiel, with its bow arms. I can order my other demon to eat elements of the battlefield that you don't like. I am not a general, though - I will follow your directions," he said to Danae.

[OOC: Sorry. Brain fart.]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Fri 18 Sept 2009.

OOC~ Ah, Veldygar, I don't think you're with me in the temple, you're with the other group Dashu and I are providing a distraction for.
"Alright then, we know about where they were waiting when they stopped.  My inclination is to just avoid those positions and go around where we know the enemy is laying an ambush, forcing them to move again, and hopefully make enough noise to let us hear their advance again.  Remember that our mission does not actually require us to engage the enemy, satisfying as that may be.  If we keep a few hundred of them tied up dancing for an hour or two while Danae gets to the Gatekeeper, that's still a win for us.  We do need to keep on our toes for ambushes now, though.  Any other thoughts?"

Dashu listens to Dena and thinks quietly.  Finally he says, "I'm supposed to be your eyes and ears here.  Its good to keep them dancing, but it doesn't work if we get caught.  I'll move out and try to keep tabs on the movements of the various groups and relay their movements back to you.  I'm not going to engage unless I have to.  I'll be in touch with the communicator."

[Private to GM: Things a little hecktic on my end.  I'll take a look at my sheet and edit this post to say what charms I activate.   Just letting you know I'm going solo though.

edit:  Okay I'm activating Monkey Leap, Ebon Shadow and my anima power.  That should leave me at 28 m left after everything is said and done.]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:41, Sat 19 Sept 2009.

"An unpleasant trap. It appears to effectively quarantine groups that pass through it, using large walls, and then gradually crush those inside with a magnetic force, affecting all metals, while removing the air from the room. Our best chance might be to try to find and sabotage the sensors, use the Blue Stripes as a way to keep the walls pinned open, or figure out how to avoid tripping the trap at all." It crouches down near the edge of the trap, studying it quietly, even as the others study. 'Depending on what substance the walls are made out of... We could use your demon to try eating through them." the Solar says, speaking to Veldygar.

OOC: Sorry about that delay, still getting back into the 'check the game' mindset, and the weekend was a little wild. ;>_>

OOC: REALLY crude ascii map for those near the South Barrier. Hope it helps a bit.

        +=====+ <-- South Barrier
   ^    |     |     (first layer)
   |    |     |
   N    |     |
        |     |  H, I - doors
        |     |  x - the intersection
--------|     |  the PCs turned at
  an    |     |
 empty  |     |
 room   |.....| <-- trap lines here
        |     |
----H---+     +---------------
           x                <--scouts coming this way
--------+     +-------+------- (still ~2 minutes off
        |     |       |        so you have 2 minute-
        |     |another|        long actions to react
        |     I empty |        with)
        |     | room  |
        |     |       |
        |     +-------+

Another minute passes.

At central column, south barrier (Danae, Third, Eternal, Veldygar, Blue Stripes, demons, machine gods)

The arrangement here is assumed to be as follows:
- Third, Harmony and Garnet Cog near the trap line (north of intersection). The machine spirits will try to jam enemy communications/equipment.
- Blue Stripes hide in the west empty room, as they are bad at hiding.
- Danae, Veldygar and Dezephiel take shooting position from south of intersection (Danae with flame piece, Veldygar with shock pike). Dezephiel can serve as partial cover while using bow arms to shoot.
- Eternal remains hidden (stealth) and Gugoona dematerialized close by, just in case. Up to Eternal if he will sneak attack or not.

One minute remains until scouts arrive. Make any last preparations, then Danae's Join War will start things off.

Toward western major staircase (Dena, Dashu, Evamae, Rubies)

Evamae replies promptly to Dena, "I believe it is possible for us to lead the forces on a chase for some time, but I do not think it will last. The Inner Temple area is large but we are still in an enclosed space, and our enemy knows the floor plan well. Not to mention they may have Dragon-blooded that can sense movement on the earth as we do."

"For now we can delay. Let us split off from where the large force awaits us, toward the northwestern quadrant. If they follow us it will bring them further from Danae Adela and the others." Then the command goes to the builder bugs, and the column of Ruby Warriors turns sharply northward at the next opportunity, moving in so synchronized a manner they appear like a giant millipede of red carapace.

Dashu takes the time to activate several charms which mute sight and sound until he is as unnoticeable as a shadow. Dena and the others can hear him move off toward the west but gradually lose sight of the distortion in the air. To all natural senses, he is gone.

[Private to Peleps Dashu: You get one minute closer to the larger force. They are still gathered where the builder bugs suspected they were earlier.

From what you can hear from afar you're certain they may be about Magnitude 2 (note: Rubies under Evamae are Magnitude 3). You're not close enough yet to see in detail how they are equipped or arranged, but you catch mention of three main types of squads, a 'ranged stealth', 'heavy armored' and 'mobile fighter'. The enemy force has heard a large group moving northward; it seems they are altering their strategy and arranging to follow. You think they may be trying to send a message upstairs, as well, perhaps thinking Dena's group wants to make a rush for the western stairs.

You're not yet close enough to actually get visual confirmation, to get exact details of their equipment, how many Dragon-blooded in the force, etc. You will be close enough in the next minute, though. After a small pause (in case you or others will write more) I will roll stealth and awareness for you again to indicate the next minute of activity.]

[Private to GM: 2 groups of air aspect stealthies got away from Dashu's senses (8 sux, 12 sux vs Dashu's 6)]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Thu 24 Sept 2009.

Third breathes in, drawing its blade, as it crouches next to the east wall of the northern corridor, silent as it waits for the patrol to approach, eyes closed as it concentrates.

[Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: OOC: 3 successes on Join Battle.

Sorry, my bad, we'll be using Danae's Join War instead.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:06, Thu 24 Sept 2009.

As Dashu creeps closer to his targets he searches for every nook and cranny which he  can use as cover.  Slinking along the walls, his essence mutes his movements and his martial arts form makes him blend into the shadows with ease.  As he gets close, he decides to get a higher vantage point.  He leaps up into the air in a backflip and drives his razor claws into the stone walls.  He holds himself up in this fashion while waiting for his 'prey' to come to him.