Alisandra busied herself making everyone a bowl of what she had prepared. It would likely taste rather bland but still be filling for most of the day. She raised a brow at Lucien, ”Indeed I do. Let me begin with what we all seem to be, from my observations. Lathan and RIssa seem to rely on the longest range weaponry in our little group. You Lucien seem to focus on mid range combat either with shorter range weaponry or melee. Three elks and I look to be the only pure melee fighters in our group. Magic wise, other than her energy bolts RIssa seems to have spells which control the field? Is this correct? My own magic is focused on Controlling the field and keeping my allies in the fight. Again other than Rissa’s energy bolts we lack heavy hitting spells, which is fine, we can work around that. I have some ideas for when I gain experience but until then we will need to improvise. As I see it, we have done a lot of spelunking thus far and that trend seems likely to continue. This is good and bad. The bad first. Being in such confinement will diminish our ranged combatants. It is a handicap we can over come. Here let me draw something.” She handed off the serving spoon and used her dagger to make a rounf sketch on the ground. ”We’ve been fighting a sort of free for all, no tactics taken into account. My suggestion is thus:”

She has used everyone’s initials to represent them -

                       Enemy

  First Rank    AJ    TE
  Second Rank  LN
Third Rank     LS  RT

”Bieing in this arrangement puts the front line fighters where they should be, at the front. Lucien you are able to dart in and out of the front line, while Rissa and Lathan form the back rank. First I would suggest, at least at the start, that everyone hold until either I or Rissa have, actually preferably both, have taken control of the field. I use Fairie Fire on big groups to give everyone advantage and a paralyzing spell if there is only one enemy. Holding your attacks and keeping back will give me the chance to affect as many of our enemy as possible with my initial control spell, or to single out the biggest target. Once that is done Three and I can hold that front line, especially with Lucien providing mid range support. Lathan and Rissa can pick off enemies with their superior range. Now it is also important that someone call the shots, so to speak, letting us all focus on one enemy at a time. I would suggest either Rissa or myself for that role, but honestly any of us can have it. Whoever takes the first shot, everyone should focus their attacks as much as possible on that enemy, until it falls and then on to the next. These are old strategies but they are also time tested and reliable. Those are my thoughts.”

Lathan listens to Alisandra's suggested tactics and smiles. "You've put a lot of thought into this," he says. "But you're not very observant. When have you seen me use a long-range weapon?"

Lucien pondered Alisandra's suggestions. "I am capable of supporting from close range when necessary, but it is not so easy to switch between using a longbow and my sword. I have also managed to teach myself some limited magic and I have had success using illusions to delay or distract enemies early in a fight. My only other comment is that while in these underground situations I can see the benefit of waiting for you and Rissa to put foes at a disadvantage with magic, in our fights in the wild I can hit targets even well beyond Rissa's range with her spells."

Kuiper sits nearby, checking over his belongings. "Well, it sounds like you're planning on going deeper into the mine... If you'll have me, I'd like to accompany you. Perhaps we will finally find some answers regarding what's been going on in Haranshire."

"Energy... bolts..."

Rissa sounded out the unfamiliar words, her tone more amused than anything else.  She withdrew the glass orb, and with a whisper sent her will into it.  Twinned energies began to spin about it, shadow and light in continual opposition to one another.

"My Art is order and entropy, contesting one another.  The darkness is curse craft, while the light renews and restores.  I'm not sure what 'controlling the field' means, most of my magic impacts only those I focus it on, not the world around them.  Though, things are changing so quickly with this new power that it is hard to say."

She mused, her mind wandering off.  At Alisandra's suggestion that she call the shots, she laughed.

"No, I will leave the warcraft to the warriors.  I think.  Unless we are in darkened caves like this where my night eyes are keener than any others."

She shrugged.

"But I like your plan, as it puts me in the back."

She set the magical items down.

"Does anyone want these?  I'll admit the cottage intrigues me."

When Kuiper spoke up, she nodded and smiled.

"I'm always happy to have another set of eyes and another blade at my side."

Alisandra went red faced as she realized her mistake. ”I am terribly sorry masters Lathan and Lucien, I seem to have confused you.”

She scratched out and switched their names on the scheme. ” Better?” Then she address Rissa, ”Aye your energy bolts, that you used with such efficiency during this last engagement. As far as controlling the field, I may have put it in military terms. Spells that alter the enemies’ movement, ability to coordinate, or make them more susceptible to an ally’s attack are considered battlefield control.” Finally she addressed Kuiper, ”Sir, my apologies, I am unfamiliar with you , but if Rissa trusts you, then so do I. Tell me do you specialize in arms, magic, or some combination?”

She let out a good natured chuckle.

"Ah, yes.  The Darkness is entropy."

She held up the orb higher, the shadow within growing and overwhelming the light, though a trace of it always remained.

"It seeks to break down and destroy.  I can make those ensnared it it vulnerable, both to my own Art or to others, depending on the nature of the Entropomancy I summon"

She lowered the orb and sat up a little straighter, preening slightly.

"Battlefield control, I like it."

She rose, gathering up the cottage and leaving the other items on the floor.

"Shall we?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:08, Wed 29 July 2020.

"I rely on my sword and my wits," Kuiper replies, tapping the hilt of his longsword. "They've served me well enough over the years."

Alisandra nodded at Kuiper, ”Then join the front rank, please.”

She added a K to First Rank.

Lucien nods to Kuiper. "It has been while, but your help is always appreciated. I feel more confident than ever that we can get to the bottom of what is disturbing Haranshire." As always, he listens to Rissa's discussion of her magic with an unusually expressive expression of interest.

He waves off, Alisandra's apology, but says nothing more about the confusion.

After he finishes his meal, Lucien stands. "First, I would like to investigate the body in the pool. It seems like a strange place for a body to be. It might hold some clues."

Three Elk retrieved the magic flail, from where Rissa left it.  He silently wiped the blood and gore from his javelins as he listened to the others speak of battle tactics. For a bard he was a man of few words, content to listen in silence, humming or singing when appropriate and when the mood struck him.  Currently, he was not in the mood.  He was underground in an abandoned mine filled with the undead and wizards.

Alisandra nodded, “Then let’s get moving.”

Lathan grabs the robe and stuffs it into his backpack, thinking it might come in handy later.

"Aye, lead the way, Lucien."

Lucien leads the way out of the cabin and back into the cavern proper. He pauses on route to the chamber with the pool only long enough to collect his improvised alarm and put it back into one of his many pockets.

Once at the chamber, he eyes the water warily. "The body is behind that pillar. Should we draw straws for who has to go in and get it? I have to admit to not being a particularly strong swimmer."

Rissa looked at her robes, her frail arms, the heavy jewelry which weighed her down, and laughed.

Alisandra rolled her eyes and began stripping down. When she had only her skivvies on, she got into the water to retrieve the body, mumbling something about “landlubbers.”

08:38, Today: Alisandra rolled 7 using 1d20+1.  Athletics to swim.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:39, Tue 04 Aug 2020.

Three Elks was about to volunteer when Alisandra suddenly started stripping down.  That distracted him.  It wasn't until she was up to her knees in the water already, that he snapped out of his enchanted daze. He stood at the pool's edge and drew a javelin.  He watched the surface of the water for any signs of disturbance, any sign that danger my be heading towards the redhead.

The water is about 15 feet deep. Alisandra easily locates the body floating facedown in the pool, just beyond the pillar, its black cloak spreading out on the surface of the water. The body is badly decomposed (and appears to have been nibbled on by fish), rendering it unrecognizable, though it appears to have been a human male.

Alisandra surfaced and reported her findings. “Anything you want me to bring back?”

"Does anything look pristine, untouched by decay or passing fish, given that the rest of the body and possessions are ruined?  If so, grab that."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:48, Wed 05 Aug 2020.

Alisandra nodded and dove back under. She will do as Rissa instructed.

While waiting for Alisandra to return, Lucien turned to Kuiper to ask a question. "Any idea how long it's been since this mine was active?"

Alisandra returns to the floating body but doesn't find anything on it in good condition.

Kuiper shrugs. "This mine hasn't been used as long as I've been alive. Old Grizzler or Darius Carman would probably be able to give you a more accurate estimate, though. Why?"

Alisandra surfaced again, ”Nothing of value, sorry.” She swam to shore. Getting out of the water she said, ”I don;t suppose any of you can magic me dry?”