Prologue

War has begun. The Dark Prince of ages past, once a mortal sorcerer schooled by the Lieutenant of the Dark God, now so infused by usurping the Power of the Gods that he has all but become a demon himself, is awakening from his ancient seal, released by his own apprentice, the arch-sorcerer Vaelati. The Music of the New Elven Covenant is put to a test, as the powers of Gods long sleeping and forgotten is stirred up by the new rise of evil. In the past, the Dark Prince was sealed by heroes worthy of legends of the Elder Days, some say even the heirs to their spirits, were their spirits available for rebirth. Will old heroes be reborn to save the world, or will new heroes come forth to replace them? And do they have what it takes to save their peoples, nay, the World?

*

Aimienna smiles as she welcomes a group of visitors: soldiers, warriors, adventurers, heroes, into the tent set up for her and her priestesses earlier this evening. Earlier today, she, the daughter of the Hylarin Emperor and the most respected priestess in the Hylarin Temple, together with a cadre of other priestesses from the Temple if Light in the capital, came in using a powerful wind-borne translocation ritual to join a push of the Hylarin Legions into the heart of the Desert of the Jheri, well to the west of the city of Jheridura. There was a battle against the desert nomads and some of their giant brethren, but they were also supported by stranger things, beasts of stone, and mighty demon warriors clad in black iron. Had it not been for the priestesses and their incantations, these warriors would have likely bested even the Empire's balanced, seasoned army. But in the end, the horse and camel-riding nomads fled across the desert, some into the dune fields to the north, and many westward to a city with jeweled walls upon a hill in the desert, and with the top of a great pyramid in its midst.

The tent is brightly lit with a fire burning in a pit in the center, exuding warmth into the tent and keeping out the cold desert night. Aimienna, meanwhile, is wearing her form-fitting silvery breastplate enchanted so that it does not encumber her in the slightest while, as a side-effect, showing off her beautiful figure. "Hi!" Aimienna says cheerfully as she kneels next to a low table off to the side of the tent, unfurls a map on the table, and places candelabras to weight down the corners of the map. "Come in! Gather around!" she says as she prepares the map.

The map is a sketch-map drawn by the army's cartographers from adventurer and scout reports on the area where the battle took place earlier today, with an arrow pointing in the direction of Jheridura, east off of the edge of the map. "You are here because we have a number of things we need to do in this desert, and you, since you best know your own skills, should decide what would be best for you to do." Spreading the map out, she points to a marking on a large desert shelf overlooking a deep ravine. "We are here," she says, before then pointing to an outcrop, a monolith, on the map, and starts to explain. "Our primary objective for marching into this desert is the Wind Temple, here. The Wind Temple is one of the seven Elemental Temples, one of the nodes of the Themes that make up the matter of the world, and the Dark Prince is trying to corrupt it so that he can radiate his evil Theme through it. We are trying to firstly stop him from doing that, but also prove our worthiness of the grace of the elements to radiate our own, life-sustaining Theme from the Elemental Temples. These Themes twine the threads of destiny for the world - I can show you more about that later if you like. To cut a long story short, if evil manages to claim all seven Temples, then it will destroy the world, if not during our lifetimes, then during our descendants', but if we manage to defeat the evils that attack each of the Temples, then we save the world, again not only for ourselves but our children and our children's children as well. So this is why we Hylarin priestesses and the Empire, as well as the Dark Prince are interested in it."

Aimienna then moves her finger to a thin pencilled line that indicates an uncommonly-travelled path. "I am going to be leading a mission to gain access to the Wind Temple tomorrow. Call it a quest, a commando operation, or what you will, depending on your mindset. It is located atop a huge monolith, which is itself adorned with a massive statue - a Goddess of the Desert, according to local legend. There is a very powerful spirit that dwells in that statue, it may in fact be a goddess, and in order to prove our worthiness to the Temple we will also have to successfully challenge this spirit, and it will also tell how to access the Temple. In a later expedition I am going into the Temple itself to face what guardians and challenges it has, as well as to destroy any evils that the Dark Prince has already put there to corrupt it."

Aimienna then points to another location on the map - a walled city west of the plateau where the army is camped. "However, the Temple is better defended - or perhaps better besieged - than that," she says, pointing to a very large, square building inside of the city. "This city's name is 'Spirit of Fire'. I do not know if it is a pun on Fëanor.For those of you who do not know the reference, Fëanor was a very powerful and extremely arrogant elven wizard of the First Age. It may be a coincidence. In any case, the inhabitants of this city, whomever they are, have built a ziggurat inside of the city. This ziggurat itself radiates the evil Theme that the Dark Prince is trying to radiate from the Wind Temple - unless we destroy it as well as pass the Wind Temple's challenge, we will not have ridden the Wind Temple of the Dark Prince's power. The ziggurat is a huge building, and being made of brick it cannot be burnt down - demolishing it requires an army, which is why we will tomorrow be marching to besiege this jeweled city, but that will be made difficult if the rituals in the ziggurat are able to persist unabated, so I am organizing an attack there, as well. And, of course, the city itself needs to be breached."

Aimienna then traces a road leading south out of the walled city to a small village. "Finally, there is someone acting as a prophet wandering this southern road and preaching the Dark Prince's return and, among other things, the 'fouling of the wind'. He needs to be stopped; he also will negate any successes we may have in the Wind Temple itself if he is not also defeated. And last, there is this church, which I think the wandering prophet founded. Garo, you have seen this firsthand, perhaps you should explain it," A swarthy human man with short (recently cut) dark, curly hair moves his body as Aimienna mentions his name, and then smiles at her. "For your information, Garo is a converted priest who served in the ziggurat before he saw the light. You can trust him." Garo smiles as Aimienna says this.

Garo follows Aimienna's finger on the map and then points to another mark on a village to the south, not far from an oasis. "This 'prophet' has set up a church here. The church is really a front for an underground complex where the priests have been contacting devils. Their purpose is not to fight with the Hylarin army, although there is no reason they could not do that, but rather they help spread the evil dominion here. I don't know how far down the complex goes, but I do know that there is a fairly powerful priest and possibly a high-ranking devil running a cult down there. They are basically serving as a 'backup' for the ziggurat, so anything that needs the ziggurat removed or shut down will need to clear out the tunnels beneath this church as well," he says. "There is also a very large group of bandits that frequents the dunes to the south, and I think that some of the enemy army you defeated earlier today fled that way as well. I think that's where this prophet came from - they may be able to come up with more if these dunes are not investigated. He also set up this blasphemous church."

Aimienna nods. "All of these missions will be dangerous, of course, and you are not the only group of potential heroes and commandos that I will be seeing tonight, but you have first pick of which mission you want to take. The Wind Temple itself will contain spirits and creatures of the sky, both good and evil, that we will have to face, either to cleanse the Temple, or to prove ourselves worthy of its power. I do not know what powers the spirit inside of the statue wields, other than that it is one with the Stars. We know that, in addition to mortal men, the jeweled city is peopled by semi-giants, and also by yuan-ti. The ziggurat is attended by giant abominations the bastard spawn of mortal women with fallen angels, with formidable magical might. I do not know how powerful this prophet is, but his gods are the same as those of the priests in the ziggurat, and he did found this diabolical church. The bandits, from what we can tell, are good horsemen, and good marksmen. Now, here is one advantage that we do have," Aimeinna says, pulling out a vivid pink quartz crystal she is wearing as an amulet around her neck. "In the context of the Music and the threads of destiny, I am primary; meaning that I exist in all destiny threads, or all of the threads that we are dealing with. This means that if I should perish on any of these quests apart from the trials in the Wind Temple itself, I will be easy to resurrect. I therefore can accompany you on whichever mission you choose, even if I am involved in another mission at the same time. I believe that all of you are heroes to the threads of destiny yourselves, in which case you are also primary, and therefore enjoy the same protection that I do. Of course, this means that I also must do everything I can and that I must go to the Wind Temple, be it sooner, or later. And, should we fail, and and the Dark Prince radiate his Theme from the Wind Temple, then this protection will become meaningless."

Aimienna leans back and lets her guests study the map. "Ask me any questions have - I or Garo might be able to answer them. Then choose which mission you will select first, and as I said, I will accompany you if you wish - unless you go to the Wind Temple, in which case I must accompany you."

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 02-06-2012 @ 00:44 AM).]

Venser, a lean, dark-haired elf that was known first and foremost as a scholar but also for his skill in fencing and archaeological expeditions, had been one of the individuals called to the meeting. An independent man of about 120 years, he had taken steps toward missions like this, seeking to advance and protect the Empire by getting out in the field, which was incidentally the best place left for him to learn more about a variety of topics from history to swordplay. His breadth of knowledge made him a good being to have around at many briefings like this, to offer insight and advise even if he wasn't going on the mission itself.

This time, though, he was determined to accompany the expedition itself. The times were perilous, and the Empire needed its best and brightest going out to stem the rising tide of evil.

"Each of these is an interesting challenge," he said, regarding Aimienna and speaking in Common, though he much preferred Elven. "I am interested in the origins of this prophet and his church. I wonder how connected he is to the Dark Prince, to be his prophet, so to speak.

"Garo," he said, turning to the man. "Do you think we might be able to learn something of the Dark Prince's plans if we were to capture the prophet? I am certain he has plans more covert than the obvious movements he has laid before us."

Aimienna looks at Garo as Venser asks his question. Garo turns and responds to Venser "I don't know for sure," He glances at Aimeinna. "The god of the ziggurat and the Dark Prince share a mythology, which I think is why the ziggurat can act as a surrogate Wind Temple as far as its corrupting influence is concerned." He then looks back at Venser. "The street prophet preaches the awakening of the god in the ziggurat and the rising up of His new order from below. I don't know what he knows of the Dark Prince. However, I advise against capturing him: he has prophet powers, among them that he can smite you just by his voice. It also makes him immune to certain consoling powers as well."

Venser smiled. "I think it is far too early to begin dismissing options as impossibilities, Garo," he answered conversationally, not letting any amount of condescension or admonition into his voice. "Only through the experience of such an undertaking could the plausibility of capturing him be discredited. Exploring this shared mythology, at any rate, might be worth additional risk."

The elf always tended to find it was better not to kill unless absolutely necessary. So many adventurers and mercenaries these days threw themselves at tasks as though the only route out was death and glory. Venser found it wasteful, seeing sentient beings as more than just obstacles. Most people would not die for a cause, and with the sparing of their lives, they could yet become allies.

Accordingly--though the prophet sounded somewhat advanced down the road of serving the Dark Prince--either by being shown mercy or through other forms of persuasion, Venser thought it was possible for him to become a great resource.

”Honestly Venser, why should we, one of the strongest, if not the strongest group the empire have available for this, waste our time chasing that prophet, when that task could easily be performed by a lesser group?”

The person that interrupted was a sturdy dwarf in a full plate. He had a warhammer in his belt and a silvery shield strapped to his back. He had his full helmet under one arm, revealing a thick red-brown hair and a large beard of the same color. He was well known by the others in the tent as Barock Silvershield, a Dwarf adventure that had become quite famous recently. He was well liked by other adventures for his willingness to fight up front using his divine magic to enhance both himself and his allies, as well as for his powerful divine healing abilities. No adventuring group would go down easily with him as a member.

”It seems to me” he continued ”that you are putting your own curiosity about that prophet above the interests of the Empire. A group as strong as ours should clearly go for one of the really challenging tasks, such as the attack on the ziggurat or accompanying princess Aimienna, when she challenge the sprite, goddess or whatever it is in the statue”

Garo glances back and forth at Venser, Barock, and Aimeinna. "The prophet himself you are perhaps right about, Barock, but a group with any weaknesses I fear would suffer some losses. The prophet did found this church, and there is a devil-infested labyrinth beneath it. I don't know if the prophet summoned the devils or made way for them, or if he chose emissaries at the church itself to do that. It may be that the church, rather than the prophet, is the greater threat, except that the prophet can presumably found a new church," he says. "Of course, the prophet himself came from the bandits on the dunes. It may be that his god could merely choose a new prophet, too."

Aimeinna shifts her weight as she turns toward Barock. "Mere strength will be most useful against the prophet and against the city, especially courage strength of will. Resourcefulness will be more useful in any of the other missions, the Wind Temple itself most of all and probably the statue as well. We must prove our wits worthy to the Gods as well as our bravery and our might."

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 02-17-2012 @ 08:04 AM).]

Venser inclined his head. "My apologies, Master Silvershield, for I have been misunderstood," he said. "Reveal though I did my curiosity concerning the prophet, I did not intend to assert that it is the mission on which we will be best applied--although that may turn out to be the case."

He had known Barock Silvershield for years, of course, and he tended to keep an ear open at all times these days for other capable rising adventurers. In his youth, Venser had thrown himself at his studies with such voracity that he could go for days without any outside contact. However, that wasn't his game anymore, and striving to be a more public figure and an adventurer required a constant ear for rumors. Important leads on mysteries of the present were rarely gained from what one read--instead all significance was on who one knew.

At any rate, Barock was not the kind of unknown talent flying under the radar and in need of being recruited to a higher calling such as defending the city. Venser couldn't think of a more stalwart being to have along.

[This message has been edited by that one Elf (edited 02-17-2012 @ 09:33 AM).]

Jisanne had listened carefully to the briefing and kept her attention on the map. Her face was free of it's usual wrappings, and as a result, the others in the tent could see her furrowed brow and pursed lips. The Sica finally spoke up. "It seems to me that this prophet, while a threat, is not the greatest threat at the moment, Master Venser. If the ziggurat that has been erected is the basis for the Dark Prince's operations in this area and a launching point for his attempted assimilation of the Wind Temple, then I agree with Master Silvershield that that should be our focus. If we stop him there, then we will have bought ourselves some time to speak with this goddess in the Wind Temple and figure out how to prevent the Dark Prince from taking it in the future."

Besides, she liked the idea of taking on the most challenging of options. Quick commando operations were the blonde-haired ninja's forte. She had never worked with such a competent team before, either. She had never met any of them before in person, but their reputations preceded them. She wasn't as sure they would know who she was, for, like a good ninja, she had tried to keep out of the public eye, but she was sure that they knew Aimienna wouldn't have invited her to come if she hadn't been one of the best.

She tapped a glove-wrapped hand onto the point of the map where the ziggurat lay. "Besides, taking care of the ziggurat should help the forces besieging the city, and only help us in the long run."

Aimienna inhales and exhales slowly as she listens to what the others are saying. "Sooner or later, someone, if not us, will need to do all of these, since either the ziggurat or the evil church will serve as a surrogate corrupted Wind Temple if not defeated" she says. "And, as I said, I will be seeing other groups tonight, and with commando operations, sometimes, fewer is more: it would be ideal if we could do all of them at once, without giving the enemy a chance to regroup," she continues.

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 02-18-2012 @ 05:00 PM).]

Jisanne stepped forward and supported Barock’s opinion. Barock had never worked her with before but he did knew a little about her. She apparently was a very good assassin or ninja as her people liked to call those with her skills. Barock had no doubt that she would be valuable to have along, he might not the stealthy type himself, but he did recognize how valuable stealth could be in some situations.

”We will have to pick one of those quests, and personally I prefer the attack on the ziggurat, but the challenge of the spirit in the statue and the attack of the devil church would also be fine. Anything else I believe would be a waste of our abilities.”

Venser nodded at Jisanne. Her reputation preceded her as an assassin and covert operations specialist. Another fine asset to have along, as long as she was willing to put aside her solo-operations mentality and work as a part of a team. He suspected that there would be some challenges involved along those lines, but for the moment was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He, too, was used to working alone.

"Then let us proceed accordingly, Barock," he agreed, some amount of finality in his voice. He turned to Aimienna. "We would be honored to have your company in this endeavor, Princess."

Taya, a female human, with her green hair (a product of her fey heritage) as her most distinguishing feature. Was wearing the white robes of a priestess of Desna. She had been traveling for years, using the stars as her guide while seeking the new and unexplored. Wurunisk, a faerie dragon and her friend and companion sat on her back, looking over her shoulder studying the elves and the dwarf.

As she was about to speak up, Wur projected his thoughts into her mind. Choose the Wind Temple! The other missions are only kill this, and kill that. And the Wind Temple is bound to be filled with ancient magic

Wur always knew how to make her smile.

It should prove fun to play with the minds of the abominations in the ziggurat, though I personally think challenging the Godess of the Desert and seeking to enter The WInd Temple would be a more worthy quest.

The local heroes looked like mighty warriors, though she doubted any of them were as skilled as her in the art of magic.

Aimienna smiles, and Garo looks concerned as the exotic fey-blooded priestess voices her opinion. Yet, he does not say anything, and his lips furrow as he studies the map, then looks back up at the future companions.

Then Aimienna glances back and forth between the four of them. "So, what do you think? Most of you seem to want to take on the ziggurat. I would say that the challenges that we will face are more certain there than at the Wind Temple, but I do expect there will be surprises in each," she says.

”I think I have already made my opinion clear, and I still stand by it” Barock said

Venser bowed his head. "I think we shall be well-used in any of these tasks. My opinion is that we be thrown at the most urgent and difficult of them, for I am confident that we are capable," he said.

Taya, too, was a valuable asset. She was somewhat less well-known to him, being a traveler and new to the city. However, tales of her had reached his ears over recent months as she had distinguished herself in various locations in the region. There wasn't a lot that slipped by Venser these days, as he strove to be well-educated in a vast array of topics.

Aimienna leans back smiling, glancing off to the side as if indicating that she expected this might happen. "It sounds as if a majority of you would rather test the ziggurat than the Desert Goddess, at least to begin with. It is likely, though, that we will eventually need to do both, so keep that in mind," she says. "Venser has said that you would like my company on this mission; what of the rest of you?" she asks.

"With due respect, I should attend this as well," Garo says. "While I have never been inside of the ziggurat, I have been on it, and in the temple complex it is part of. I would like you to have me, also, if you will."

”Personally I would be happy to have you both come with us, and I can’t see why any of us wouldn’t want that...” Barock responded

"Good!" Aimienna exclaims, before reaching back behind her for a large scroll, large enough to be another map. "Let us meet in the morning as the sky gets light. Now, I need to speak with some of the other groups, but if you want to know any more, especially about how the Wind Temple factors in the grand story we are part of, then come back later. Do you have any more questions or things to discuss about the mission, or are you ready to go?" she asks.

Venser bowed to the princess gracefully and then left the planning room. He was content to let things unfold as they progressed, rather than coming back to get the whole picture beforehand. Most of his missions ended up resulting in a great deal of improvisation. He liked to think on his feet.

He had a decent grasp on the Music of the matter anyway. If there was something specific that he needed to know during the mission, the princess would be on hand if he couldn't figure it out himself.

OOC: @#*$ internet problems.

I'm going to assume since nobody contradicted him that T.O.E.'s sentiments are shared by everybody.


IC:

As the companions, some old, some new, go off to their respective tents to find escape from the cold desert night, either to rest or to prepare for the coming day. Each have their own experiences, reminiscings from the past, or, perhaps, portents of the future.


Wur, you find yourself standing atop a towering spire of rock. Taya is nowhere to be seen. In the distance, some miles off, is another such spire, and another. Each of the spires has a base of a mountain with many caves, and Dragons, many, many, Dragons, in and around the caves, and of all colors. The ones under your spire appear mostly of the types described as metallic, and of the near spire they look chromatic, and of the far spire, they are... different, more bird-like, and with strange colors, but clearly Dragons nonetheless. And far, far, below you, below the mountains, lies a deep, greenish sea, with contorted, tortured mats of green and brown algae floating in shapes reminiscent of the giant tentacles of some monstrous undersea beast. Above, to the west - which somehow you know to be the west - there is a great storm, with many lightnings below it, and something moving amid the storm, it is difficult to make out what, but they are not clouds, and not lightning bolts, but something else.

Taya finds herself lying amid a circle of broken stone columns, nearby a mass of tumbled stone that make up the ruins of some temple built atop a hill crested with shrubs and green grass. A watery orange-yellow sun lies on one horizon, over a mixed field of lower hills and what look like pastures. A calm wind is blowing from that direction. On the opposite side there is sloping trend of hills and gullies down to a coastline, with what looks like a city on the ocean, with a few gray towers and a sprawling, gray, landscape. A ship is out in in the sea beyond, also gray. Taya cannot see the sails of the ship, and is too far away to see any oars it may have, but something tells her that this is a vision of something she has never seen the likes of which before. And then, Taya notices something, something flying, or rather many somethings, approaching the city, specks on the horizon.

Venser, when he closes his eyes, sees what he might imagine to be the Hylarin Parliament, but as he looks around the room, he realizes that they are something more than that, nearly all of the delegates appearing human, or nearly human, but strong, healthy, and fit, and their clothes are... different, most of them wearing coats with long sleeves and none with robes. So far, none seem to pay any attention to him. Presently, he watches as a young woman steps into the pulpit, and begins speaking in a language that he does not know, although he recognizes a few words of obviously Hylarin origin, among them freedom and destiny, and a recurring phrase Land of the Phoenix. Then, his eyes follow the woman to a pair of flagpoles on either side of her. The banners are unfamiliar to him, even in a style unfamiliar, and from what he can make out of the colors of the flag, which are white and green and red and gold - the white, green, and gold he knows from the Hylarin insignia, and one of the important Hylarin crests, that of the Temple, is on it plainly, but the red and white stripes that form the field behind the green and gold insignia he has never seen before. Perhaps this is a new nation, descended from his own?

Jisanne imagines that she is standing on a giant game board. Figures she does not recognize, yet recognizes at once, sit around the board, moving pieces here, moving pieces there. Looking around the board, she only begins to notice the complexity of the board itself, with sliders and extra boards to the side to keep track of entire different ages of time that the game plays through. Some of the pieces are white, some black, some carry swords, others wear masks. She alternately feels that she is a piece on the board, and yet one of the players moving the pieces is her as well. She watches as someone places a piece that obviously represents some great, evil, beast of the air on the board, and then sees that person move a slider down a track, a track she realizes is a countdown to the doom of all living things.

Barock only imagines that he is a warrior in a great army marching to the fate of the world. And he does not need any special imagination or visions to do this, for he is such a warrior, the imperial army is such an army, and they are marching to decide the fate of the world.

Jisanne had returned to her tent after the meeting, and after a light supper, had retired early, knowing that tomorrow would mark the start of a new mission and that she'd need her sleep. She slept long and deep, but in the middle of the night, awoke from a very strange and vivid dream.

Normally, she didn't pay much attention to dreams, but this one had been extraordinarily vivid. She lay there awake for some time, thinking over the imagery and terrible feelings of doom it had invoked in her. She had hated the feeling of being someone's pawn as well, although the sense of tremendous responsibility she had during the times she felt she was moving the pieces was equally terrifying.

Was I give this dream for a reason? What does it signify?

Eventually, though, she forced the images out of her mind. There were still several hours before dawn.

When she next woke, the sun was rising. She splashed some water on her face and then dressed herself in her standard attire, although once again letting the cloth she usually covered her lower face with hang free. Making sure she had everything, she headed back to the tent where they had met the princess. She was ready.

OOC: Elves don't sleep.

IC:
Venser had lots of extra time, given that he only needed to trance for about four hours to be ready for the mission the next day. And so he spent some time preparing himself in other ways. He cleaned all of his equipment, made sure his rapier was in perfect condition, and laid out the rest of his adventuring gear. There were several things that he took on expeditions that he wouldn't carry around the city, even a few specialized toolkits like so-called thieves' tools. Venser was not a thief, but he had taught himself to pick locks and disable traps because they were skills necessary to navigate trap-laden ruins.

He didn't just spend time preparing his equipment. He got out a few books and brushed up on any information he thought would be relevant to the next day's endeavor, trying to give himself an edge or at least have fresh information in his mind.

Finally, as the night was wearing on, the elf went over to the pad where he usually rested and began his trance sequence. Trancing was not really like sleep as the humans experienced, for he remained conscious. His mind wandered through a very vivid and very practiced set of memories, perfectly-recalled studies, problems that he had been trying to solve for years or decades, and more. He commonly said a prayer to Irmo in the midst of the trance, too. Sometimes, he strayed a bit from the well-worn mental path as his weariness intruded and took it in different directions. Occasionally, his mind would wander to a new place and he would add the sequence to his daily trance.

This time, something very unusual intruded and in such a way that Venser did not anticipate it. He was surprised by how lucid the image appeared before him, especially since it was not one of his memories. It hinted of something magical, and was more detailed than what he usually saw when his mind simply wandered somewhere new.

When the sequence completed, Venser noted that his trance time was coming to an end. He thought over the vision carefully two or three times to make sure he did not forget the details, then started to don his equipment and eat a light meal.

Barock slept well and gave little thought to his dream when he awakened. The dream was after all just what he would expect to dream before an important quest.
Barock started his day with a short payer to Oromë, He didn’t pray for any spells as he decided that his usual spell selection would be good for the quest.
He then put on his armor and went out to find the others, so they could get started…

OOC: I mentioned this in the OOC thread; this encounter is an optional encounter to have fun with and see how combat works using maps made with Maptool on a forum.

Tell me where you want your character (put him/her wherever you want).


IC:

It is mid-morning, following the discussion of the night before. Preparations are being made to fly the companions into the city to land them on the ziggurat. Meanwhile, skirmishes are happening everywhere. At this moment, a group of infiltrators from the enemy side is trying to get into the Hylarin camp and assassinate a certain priestess, or more than one, if they can.

But will they find her? And will she be available for them to kill?


Game Rule Information

Annotated Combat Map

Combat map with names removed (so that you can see the tokens)

Terrain:
Orange = canvas tents. Tents are ten feet tall for the small ones, twenty feet for the large ones. The canvas has a 50% chance of stopping a fletched projectile (arrows, bolts), a 75% chance of stopping a massive, slow-moving bullet (sling stones), and will stop any line-of-touch spell. They will not stop lightning or bullets from firearms. Tent fabric also has a 50% chance of catching a swing from any melee weapon, causing it to miss. If a tent is used for cover and cover is struck, this rule applies.
White = doors of tents. These normally have flaps that prevent viewing from outside (DC 20 spot check to see what is inside a tent without taking a full round action; +10 to attempts to hide within a tent). Door flaps will stop projectiles just as tent fabric will. Door flaps do not impede character movement in any way, including a 5' step.
Brown = ravine. The ravine is ten feet deep. Getting into the ravine is a move action; getting out requires two move actions. Anything by the sides of the ravine has total cover from anyone not immediately next to the ravine, and 50% concealment (and cover) to anybody on the edge.
Green = trees. These trees are 15' tall and would support the weight of a halfling, but not an elf or a human. They can be used for cover in melee against swung weapons (swords, maces), but are too thin to protect from stabbing weapons (spears) or projectiles.


Allies
Aimienna (B-1) her character sheet is in the character thread.
Sister Gilwen (C0): Hylarin elemental priestess, one of Aimienna's seven 'sisters'
Hylarin Guards (D8, H5, G9, E6): low-level elf fighters/warriors, with spear, longsword, large shield, and chain mail
Sicarin Scouts (-A3, B16, R5, S22, L33, -B28): low-mid level elf rogues/scouts, with recurved bow, longsword, leather

Enemies
Master Anatomist (S0) -
Master Infiltrator (T1) -
Infiltration Agent (V3, W4, U2) -
- all humans, mid-level. Stats will be given upon detection. Hide check 24, Move Silently check 28, Initiative 19

It was uncommon for Aelyn to meet someone even smarter and better-learned than she was. She knew Venser's name, as his fingerprints were in every major scientific field that she touched. The man had written volumes, it seemed, though he now tended to focus on archeology, history, and magic. Still, she'd never met the elf, and running into him in a mission like this was a happy coincidence for her, and she quickly sought him out among the tents to bounce some of her scientific ideas off him and, if possible, befriend him.

Venser was somewhat less socially inclined than Aelyn, but he appreciated the fact that the human woman admired his work, and he found that her education was very complete on the relatively narrow set of topics she'd set her sights on. It was a very human approach, he noted, but also showed the enormous potential of their race.

At least the conversation was mentally stimulating, even if he felt like she was pushing a little bit to make a lasting friend of him.

At any rate, they were discussing the natural world and her most curious companion, the eidolon, when the infiltrators made their way into camp. They were, of course, completely unaware that something was happening.

(Venser and Aelyn are in one of the tents, perhaps at about M3 and M5, respectively.)

Jisanne had tried to make herself useful; she hated just sitting around doing nothing, which is one reason why she loved her profession. As a result, she had assisted in several of the skirmishes that had broken out on the outskirts of the camp.

She was currently with a group of Hylarin guards. They had just successfully stopped an enemy from assassinating one of the army officers. Jisanne's skills had come in handy, as she had managed to assassinate the assassin instead.

(Jisanne is in I9 or so, with those guards)

Barock had been assisting the healers with some wounded after a skirmish with the enemy and was now on his way back to his own tent. (Barock is in O10)

He was not expecting troubles here in the main came, so he had not no enchantment spells active, but he knew that you could never be completely safe in a war camp, so he had all his gear with him and his shield strapped to his left arm.

Perception check in case it matters: 15+7=22

[This message has been edited by Kris Lighthawk (edited 06-09-2012 @ 04:52 PM).]

The sand makes for soft prints as Ashum led his team along the length of the ravine, hoping that the desert winds would bury it for the Hylar not to find. The time of day, already mid-morning, distresses him, since the Hylar and most of their allies are diurnal creatures and could see them by day. The three rookies behind him are making too far much noise, too, not enough for your average peasant to hear, but there are surely Sicarin assassins about who would be quite able to hear it. Fortunately, he and his men, or at least his second-in-command, are protected by the same grace that the enemy were. Unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to their weapons and other gear - those could be lost, although their enemies would be hard-pressed to use them against them.

Ashum still can't figure why king Dagorbesh sent him on this mission. The city's defenders would be revivable or replaceable, whichever was needed, for as long as both the walls and the temple stood, and there was no way any raiders or commandos or anything short of a long, tedious deconstruction job is going to be able to demolish a mostly solid brick pyramid a hundred and sixty feet on a side. Not even cannon fire lobbing explosive shot could do much to something like that: the Hylar would run out of powder first. However, at the same time, the Hylar are just as protected as he is, and they know it: an army besieging a city on a sacred quest suffers irreplaceable losses only in either the climactic battle or if they admit defeat and set aside their quest. The priestesses, being blessed with nature's bounty both in sustenance and in multiplication should they need it, could easily call on the threads of fate if anyone important of their number were killed. If only Dagorbesh himself would do that for his hideous feasts...

Fate had seemed to smile on him and his men thus far, though. The imps in the night had espied the tents that the priestesses used for their convocations and their rituals, and maybe killing one or a few of them would manage to disrupt their invocations at least to buy some time for the defenders. Ashum glances up and notes a notch cut into a branch in one of the scraggly desert trees by one of the imps: a signal that this is where the tent is. He casts a glance back at his companions, especially the outlander Dochuk, who is deeply skilled in his knowledge of elven physiology and anatomy, as well as in his placement of thrown projectiles. Ashum motions his group to stop, before climbing partway up the side of the ravine, but stops when he spots the white head-covering of a Sicarin guard. He ducks down again, and makes hand signals to Dochuk and his other companions. They won't have the element of surprise for long. Knowing this, they draw out of their packs the small cocktail of potions that they keep, and make ready to do their deed.

At Ashum's signal, they all scramble up the side of the wash as quickly as they can. The Sicarin scout a hundred feet away sees them immediately. Meanwhile Jisanne spots a flicker of movement around the side of Aimienna's tent that does not look like a tent flap. The nearby guards who did not see it don't seem alarmed (yet). And, inside of her tent, Aimienna hears a hasty foot land in the sand in the ravine outside, and knows that nobody would be hastily climbing around in that ravine unless something were happening. Gilwen notices Aimienna's alarm, but isn't so quick.


GM

The DC to hear the infiltration team's approach is 24, 26 if you are inside of a tent, as well as a sense motive check with a DC of 20 to indicate that you recognize them as hostiles (there are and have been plenty of people moving around, but who are not hostile). Because they are in broad daylight and presently out in the open, seeing them requires that you only succeed at a DC 15 perception check (to determine if you happened to be looking in the right direction). Jisanne is the only PC who has line of sight, however, but her perception bonus is high enough that she can't possibly fail. If you do not notice them, then you are surprised for this round.

The infiltration team's initiative roll was a 17. Jisanne (and anybody else who passes a perception check) can act if she beats that roll.

Party
Aelyn (M3) HP 80, AC 13
Barock (O10) HP 98, AC 28
Jisanne (I9) HP 62, AC 27
Venser (M5) HP 66, AC 30

Allies
Aimienna (B0) HP 53, AC 25 (not flat-footed)
Gilwen (C-1) HP 48, AC 15 surprised
Guard 1 (D8) HP 20, AC 17 surprised
Guard 2 (G6) HP 20, AC 17 surprised
Guard 3 (G9) HP 20, AC 17 surprised
Guard 4 (E6) HP 20, AC 17 surprised
Scout 1 (-C5) HP 30, AC 20
Scout 2 (B16) HP 30, AC 15 surprised
Scout 3 (R3) HP 30, AC 20
Scout 4 (S22) HP 30, AC 15 surprised
Scout 5 (L33) HP 30, AC 15 surprised
Scout 6 (-B28) HP 30, AC 15 surprised

Enemies
Ashum (infiltrator, B-7) HP 49, AC 28 shield, cat's grace, movement
Dochuk (anatomist, A-8) HP 41, AC 24 shield, cat's grace
Infiltrator 1 (C-7) HP 32, AC 24, shield, cat's grace
Infiltrator 2 (B-8) HP 32, AC 24, shield, cat's grace
Infiltrator 3 (-A-8) HP 32, AC 24, shield, cat's grace

Other enemy stats:

Ashum, human scout 7
Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +4
Leather armor, Bedouin robes
Short sword +11 [+13 with Cat's Grace] (d6 + 1 + 2d6 skirmish)

Dochuk, half-hobgoblin rogue 6
Fort +3, Ref + 9, Will + 4
Leather armor, cloak
Dagger +11 [+13 with Cat's Grace] (d4 + 3 + 3d6 sneak + poison*)
*Save DC 17, initial d6 Str, secondary d6 Con

Infiltrator, human rogue 4 / fighter 1
Fort +1, Ref +8, Will +2
Leather armor, Bedouin robes
Short sword +9 [+11 with Cat's Grace] (d4 + 3 + 3d6 sneak)

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 06-13-2012 @ 03:23 AM).]

"Well, if I might venture an opinion..." Aelyn was saying when Venser suddenly held up a hand, his eyes narrowed suddenly. (Venser's perception: 8+19=27, success. Sense motive: 17+10=27, success.) She suddenly stopped. "What is it?"

"Trouble," Venser answered.

(Initiative time. Venser: 11+6=17, probably good enough, given his high dexterity. Aelyn: 2+1=3, failure.)

The elf acted immediately, drawing his rapier and heading for the entrance to the tent. He didn't know who was crazy enough to attack the camp, but he had little doubt that that was exactly what was happening. His immediate thought was that they were after Aimienna, protected as she was, and so he headed out the north exit. When he got outside, he immediately affixed his shield to his arm in preparation for what would come next. "To arms!" he then shouted in common, making sure everyone else was alerted to what was going on.

(Venser moves to I5 and draws his rapier as a move action, then readies his shield with his remaining action.)

(Int:16+5=21)

Jisanne had just risen and was stretching, her nunchaku between her two outstretched hands, when she saw a flash out of the corner of her eye. Her instincts kicked in, and she immediately alerted the others with a loud whisper and a motion in the direction of the movement.(Sense Motive: 15+5=20, success)

She then moved towards the assassins, determined to do her duty and protect the princess.

(Double move to F-2)