Aftermath

[greywolf]

While all this is going on (and sorry for not joining in sooner), Grey Wolf is back with the troops. He will be trying to incite the prisoners into righteous warriors of the Sun. (Fury Inciting Presence + trying to use presence to convert them into my loyal soldiers).

"You men are probably wondering what I plan to do with you now. Perhaps I should put you all to death as my ally (indicating Dalph) would, or perhaps I should ransom you to your cowardly leaders? Perhaps I should torture you for information or release you into the widerness, leaving you to the mercy of the elements. I will do none of these things! You men have shown great bravery and courage this day and have been worth defenders of your fair city!

Your patriotism is admirable and commendable, but your loyalty to a cruel and evil king is misguided. He does not deserve your loyalty. Loyalty should be earned through courage and honour, rather than demanded through brutal discipline! He sits comfortably in his decedent palace while you suffer under his iron fist. I say you have been mistreated for the last time!

You men are destined for glory and greatness in the name of the city of Maluka! Destined for such worthy deeds and vast riches! Join with me and bring down this sadistic ruler! Join with me and take back your city! Join with me for glory, righteous battle and become the greatest warriors known in creation! Join with me and let us make Maluka the greatest city in the land!

[greywolf]

Also, after this (if it works) I will try to find out from my new loyal soldiers if any of them have medical training and can do first aid on the injured men.

[bravesirrobin]

From his high perch atop the wasp, Ferric glimpses the glittering symbol Kairos has displayed below him. It is a beacon calling him home.

With masterful handling Ferric guides the insect in a tight spiral, homing in on Kairos' position. He lands gracefully next to the general and the two solars nod at each other in greeting.

Meanwhile, Keiran is dealing with the troops from the battle. Those veterans from several campaigns have been using what they've picked up to tend to the wounded. There don't seem to be any skilled surgeons around to assist. They've done all they can, but sadly the biggest killer of soldiers in the world has begun to rear it's ugly head. Some men are already beginning to show signs of infection in their wounds.

[Fury Inciting Presence would work, but dissipates if you leave. I assume you're trying without, in order to set something up that is a little more permanent.]

Grey Wolf makes an impassioned speech to the 500 hundred warriors of Maluka. And they are willing to listen. Some are inspired by his words, the young and the idealistic. Those with a quest for glory and adventure. Yet the older and wiser amongst the group are more set in their ways. They insist they were not badly treated by Manaas and his council. They resent the presence of outsiders, and though the magic of the Solars has bent their minds to certain purposes, they are still reluctant to take direct action against their own compatriots.

The factions within the group spend a while discussing things. In the end about 60 break ranks and agree to join Grey Wolf. They will not act against Maluka directly (though Grey Wolf knows the judicious use of charms can change that), but they will agree to follow him, in exchange for mercy towards Maluka.

EDIT: Ferric - having spent significant essence to escape Maluka unharmed in the requisite high adventure way, sits to rest for two hours in order to regenerate his stores. Then the thoughts of he and Kairos turn to what to do next.

[Learned Hand]

'Ferric, you've had a chance to get a bird's eye view of the city. Do you think you could get us into the council chambers? Once we're in, I'm fairly certain we can get to the leaders of this place, one way or another'

[missdixievoom]

'I know where the council chambers are, and I'm fairly certain there's a suitable place on the roof to land. I didn't see any handy doors up there, although maybe they were hidden behind a chimney or something. I'll take us over and we'll have to improvise when we get there.'

Kairos climbs on to the wasp, a little uncertainly, and Ferric takes this as implied consent to take off at high speed. [LH rolls stamina + resistance to see if he vomits; 4 successes from three dice means he holds on to his lunch. But for how much longer?]

Soaring over the walls, the wasp casually dodges the smattering of arrows that trail uselessly after it, until the council chambers loom. They fly low over the roof, the wasp's wings sending dust scudding away from the tiles, but there is a disappointing lack of handy entrances. Kairos curses. He thinks its under his breath, but in fact his otherwise loud words are drowned out by the deafening buzzing noise of the wasp.

Ferric brings the wasp down on one of the roof slopes - they can't really talk while it flies, and he thinks he just heard it swear. He dismisses it, partly to ease Kairos, and turns to Kairos. 'Do you have any rope, grappling hooks, ice picks or spiky shoes?' he asks hopefully.

Kairos gives him a look and sarcastically says 'Yes, I have an ice pick here.... oh wait, I left it in my other suit of armour.'

Ferric's face, which had briefly shone with delight, falls as he realises Kairos isn't serious. 'Oh. Well that's ok. There's lead up here and that creepy weathervane over there. I reckon I could knock something up. Then I suggest we use it to swing down from the roof through one of the windows and land, triumphant, swords at the ready, in a shower of broken glass and surprised council members.'

Kairos gives Ferric another look. Ferric, busily stripping the roof, fails to notice. Sighing, Kairos heads off to find a suitable launching place.

After thirty minutes and extensive use of the Handy Andy eat my dust combo [Craftsman needs no tools and a craft excellency] Ferric proudly hands Kairos a grappling hook with two chains. 'Shall we go then?' he asks excitedly.

By way of reply, Kairos draws his sword and holds it aloft. Ferric takes this as implied consent to set off at high speed, Kairos close behind. [LH makes a valour check]

As they jump off the ledge, the Sun glitters off their armour and seems to carry them, side by side, into the window below. They land, triumphant, swords at the ready, in a shower of broken glass. There is a distinct lack of surprised council members, but the two of them are confident that if mops could be surprised, then the ones in this cupboard would be the most surprised mops of all.

Kairos sheaths his sword and mutters something about asking for directions as they leave the room. As they stride along the corridor, Kairos spots a lackey and clicks his fingers imperiously in their direction. 'You there! I've been summoned by the council to report on the state of the army. Unfortunately my colleague and I have become lost en route from the privy. It is imperative that you lead me to where the council is debating.' He flicks a sliver coin into the lackey's hand and strides onwards as though generals getting lost on the way from the privy was the most natural thing in the world.

[LH will roll this social attack if necessary]

[bravesirrobin]

Deftly reweaving the threads of essence and forcing them into the mind of the slave he and Ferric have come across. Kairos quickly erases the vision of his own towering form written in flame, instead replacing his own likeness for one of the general's that wanders these corridors on a regular basis.

He is about to withdraw his mental presence, when he is quick witted enough to catch the glance at Ferric, and also removes the memory of the other Solar's daring and memorable escape from the square not 100 metres from here earlier in the day.

The slave blinks and shakes his head quickly to clear the confusion. He gestures wordlessly to the new arrivals - back the way they came. And asks, in a heavily accented Rivertongue, if they'd like to be shown all the way.

[Mark off two uses of Memory Reweaving Discipline - and any excellency you might have used to give yourself a margin for error, likely the minimum.]

[I'd like a craft roll for the Combo Ferric used - to determine how long it took. Also I'd rather have an IC name than that one if that's ok.]

[greywolf]

In the mean time I am moving the men just out of bow range to make the soldiers inside the city more nervous and keep them focused on what is going on outside the city. Grey Wolf rides around the men shouting orders and generally causing a lot of ruckus. Throughout this I am also trying to show the prisoners that I am an powerful, capable and worthy general (more presence - going for the long term persuasion).

[Question - if I were to send Azir a message about all the injured men using infallible messenger, 1) would this be very obvious and likely draw unnecessary attention to him, and 2) would he be able to actually get out of the city to help?]

[Learned Hand]

The two solars opt to ask for directions, but follow the slave anyway, their daiklaves rendering them somewhat incongruous. Unfortunately, before they reach the chambers they bump into a clerk, scurrying the corridors with both arms full of paperwork.

The clerk fumbles, trying to adjust his glasses in order to get a better view of the men approaching him. Without breaking stride Kairos turns to nod at Ferric and speeds up. The clerk begins to shake. Kairos draws his sword. The clerk raises an accusing finger. Kairos, his face a mask of reassurance, admits that it is him, but promises to explain. The clerk begins to stammer a protest. Kairos whips the flat of his sword into his gut, and as the clerk doubles over, he raps the hilt of it twice on his head sending him sprawling.

[taking an internal penalty of 1 allows me to inflict bashing damage. I'm hoping the fact that these are extras allows us to ignore join battle rolls etc]

Ferric has recognised Kairos's nod as a cue to take out their guide. He winces as he turns to the guide and whispers 'sorry. Excuse me. Sorry' at the same time as rapping him smartly on the forehead with his scabbard three times. Each time drilling the guide a little closer to the floor.

The two of them press on towards the chambers, leaving two more unconscious forms in their wake. Ferric unhappily thinks to himself 'I really need to learn to persuade people to do stuff.' Kairos thinks to himself 'this is easier than persuading people to do stuff. And more fun. And nobody expects me to have sex with them afterwards'.

As they round the last corner they notice two guards, standing on either side of the chamber doors. The swords around their belts are more menacing than the feather duster which their last opponent had been clutching.

Guard Number One knows how this will go. He's been rehearsing it since he was a child, dreaming of working in the palace guard. He will draw his sword and shout 'Halt, in the name of the Lord of Maluka'. The enemy will cower before him, and then be soundly thrashed. There will be a medal. And women. Lots of adoring women.

What actually happens is that by the time he goes to draw his sword Kairos has managed to sprint down the corridor and jump up to balance, one foot on the hilt of the sword. It is difficult to draw your sword when an exalt is standing on it. Guard Number One decides to proceed with the plan. He manages to get out a 'Hal-' before Kairos jams his tower shield into his unfortunate neck. It is difficult to talk when a shield is crushing your windpipe. Kairos completes the manoeuvre by kicking the shield up into Guard Number One's chin, then waiting half a second for the shield to bounce into the air, before jamming it full bodied into his face, crushing the back of his skull against the wall. It is difficult to earn a medal when you are unconscious. Kairos steps off of the sword as the body supporting it crumples, and catches his shield.

Ferric is half a second behind Kairos, and has a fantastic view of Guard Number Two's face gurning in slow-mo horror at his colleague's fate. He uses the guard's distraction as a chance to think 'Oh no! This again!' before sprinting down the corridor towards the municipal chandelier. At this point Guard Number Two turns towards him and his face contorts in even greater horror as he realises what's in store for him. He's seen the films plays.

Launching himself into the air with what he fondly imagines is wasp like grace, Ferric grasps the chandelier and swings with a mighty woosh right into the guard's chest. The poor man can only stand and watch, mesmerised as huge muscles slide beneath sweaty skin, chunky shoulders and sturdy thighs driving unstoppably towards his solar plexus.

With an undignified 'uh!' Ferric lands on the now prone guard and feels a bit ashamed as he realises he quite enjoyed that. 'Oh sod it!' he thinks, 'Swinging on things is what heroes do. And twice in one day!!'

Kairos nods approval at his colleague's dextrous display. He looks around to check for more guards and does a good job of masking his disappointment when there aren't any. After checking that Ferric is ready he nudges a leg out of the way, activates Mastery of Small Manners, pushes at the unyielding, locked doors of the chambers.

'Shit'

[oneiros]

[continued from 'Inside Maluka']

...just in time to see Kairos throw his weight against the double doors at the other end, hoping they would swing open imperiously - and feel the anticipated draw of power dissipate as the Solar utters his invective. With a wry grin, Azir acknowledges that some people know just how to make an entrance... even if it doesn't always work out.

The Doctor moves to stand at Ferric's shoulder and notes the valiant attempt the noble craftsman is making of striking a heroic demeanour. He does nothing more with regards to the slumped figures than casting an appraising look over the prone forms and remarking rhetorically, "Temperance is not your strongest virtue, is it Friend Kairos."

[bravesirrobin]

The two guards outside the council chamber have barely even hit the floor when Azir also rounds the corner. The other Solars betray not a moment of surprise that he has also managed to negotiate the obstacles to this point.

The three companions turn their attention to the next obstacle in line. The door. It is a single large wooden door, reinforced with iron. Kairos wants to stride confidently through it, but Ferric places a restraining hand on him. Ferric points out the impressive lock, and indicates certain structural features which allow him to conclude it's bolted from the inside as well.

Loud voices come from inside the chambers. The door is sturdy enough to muffle the words, so it is impossible to know what's being said. There seems to be a heated argument of some kind going on. There seems to be more than one voice on each side of the disagreement, though it's hard to tell for sure.

[missdixievoom]

'I don't much fancy standing round here all day waiting for them to let us in. I could try blasting the lock off with my fire-shooting daiklave - what do you think?'

[oneiros]

Azir winces. "I was going to say do you not have something a little more subtle but then I'm guessing we're not really going for subtlety here." He looks carefully at the door but his lack of engineering knowledge makes itself known. "I have some acid but probably not enough to work effectively."

"Kairos, you're the master of the grand entrance. Would Ferric's suggestion be a way to announce ourselves in keeping with your... idiom?"

[Learned Hand]

'Bursting through the flaming wreckage of a door could definitely work for us'

Ferric. Would you be so kind?

[missdixievoom]

Ferric's caste mark starts to glow as he aims his weapon at the wood around the lock. [He activates the combo Blazing Blossom (blazing solar bolt + pony blossom attack)] Four spurts of fire shoot out from the tip of the blade in quick succession, and land on the wood, quickly spreading to mark a circle of flame around the lock.

Ferric waits just long enough for the wood to weaken without the risk of burning down the building being too great, then hacks at the burning door with his daiklave.

[bravesirrobin]

The door is clearly reinforced in some way, Ferrics bolt blast significant holes in it, but it also takes a little too long to hack through the door.

Kairos is the first in the room, taking in what's happened at a glance. The large table has been pushed to one side, and chairs are scattered as if hastily discarded. The opulent carpet has been ripped up in one corner of the room to reveal a trap door, that looks just as sturdy as the door now in pieces at Kairos' feet.

Two men and a woman stand above the trapdoor. And a face is disappeaing through it. Though Kairos' notices the look of surprise before it is out of sight. With only one more step the trap door slams shut, and the single moment of silence is punctuated by the sound of bolts sliding shut and the three remaining occupants of the room drawing their swords.

Kairos begins to speak, but is immediately drowned out by the women who screams "Don't listen, don't look at him, he'll break your mind! Lalalalala...." She has covered her face with one hand, and is looking at the floor. She is making a loud enough noise so as not to be able to hear anyone else.

The two men exchange a quick glance and drop their swords. The woman sees them fall at her feet. She interrupts her incessant la-ing to spit "Cowards!" before rushing forwards - not quite towards where Kairos is standing.

It is more of a rapid stumble than a charge, and she looks like all she knows about a sword is which end to hold. She also seems to be out of breath already, devoting too much of her energy to making noise.