Heroica RPG - Quest #17: The Lion's Share

[Kadabra]

" I guess one might say... that battle was a breeze."

"So what is this plan of yours. Arthur?"

Edited March 18, 2012 by Kadabra

[Flipz]

"We'll need Alexandre for his Diplomatic presence, but if we dress in Elven clothing and use an Elven accent--Arasmyth, I'm sure you could teach us what we need to know, and can translate for us if needed--we should be able to walk into the enemy camp and bluff them into thinking Alexandre and I are a pair of mercenaries who you, a mid-ranking Brobric commander, hired to infiltrate Heroica after the bloodbath at the end of Quest 4. We'd bring "evidence" that several defenders are dead, and encourage them to move before they are ready, while the fort's defenses are "weak". We'd heal up and resupply at the camp, then move out with the Elves, possibly sending a message back with the enemy stats, if possible. For the first round of this final wave, we'd attack you guys and the soldiers would scramble around like they're surprised and weakened, then when the rest of you move into position we'd start attacking the Brobric point-blank from behind, surprising and decimating their ranks. So, what do you guys think? Is this a good plan or not?"

OOC: This is the final wave, right? Or is there one more after this? If there's another wave, we should hold off until that last one.

"While the rest o' ya debate this plan, I'm goin' ta partially fix up th' Elven bridge as well, but rig it ta collapse into th' river when enough weight is on it. If anyone would like ta donate a fire bomb ta this trap, I'd be much obliged."

[Brickdoctor]

OOC: This is the final wave, right? Or is there one more after this? If there's another wave, we should hold off until that last one.

QM Note:

Isn't that supposed to be a secret?

Ah, well, I'll tell you anyways. Yes, there's only one more wave to go. This Quest's gone on way too long, anyways. I didn't think it would be possible to create a Quest using more forum pages than Quest 4, but chances are I'm going to do it.

[Fred Daniel Yam]

"Arasmyth, do you want that emerald?" "And, Arthur, can I go too? I have an Elven horse..."

[Flipz]

"Arasmyth, do you want that emerald?" "And, Arthur, can I go too? I have an Elven horse..."

"An Elven horse that's still more loyal to the Elves than he is to you. If you rode him into camp he'd give us all away. No, I'd recommend just the three of us; the rest of the party can hold off the Elves for a while if something goes wrong and we are delayed getting back, but there's just enough of us to be both believable AND effective if we are found out and it comes down to a fight. I chose Alexandre because of his Diplomatic presence, Arasmyth because he is an Elf and could passably pass himself off as a Brobric, and myself because, well, I know how to bluff. "

"If we were to take anyone else, I'd choose Xander, we could have him pose as our prisoner and tell the Elves he'd be a useful hostage against the Lion Knights. I'm only suggesting him because, well, because the Elves know him and it would bolster our story. I don't really think that's the absolute best course of action, though, I'm just throwing that out there for everyone's opinion."

"Regardless, I have a gut feeling that we should save this plan for the final wave, when we will not have to worry about whether or not it will work a second time and when knowing the stats of our foe will be most valuable."

[Brickdoctor]

"Regardless, I have a gut feeling that we should save this plan for the final wave, when we will not have to worry about whether or not it will work a second time and when knowing the stats of our foe will be most valuable."

QM Note:

Apologies if this wasn't clear; the upcoming wave is the final one.

[Flipz]

"I have a strange feeling that my gut feeling was wrong. If we're going to do this, we need to do it now." This said, Arthur retrieves his (OOC: Roleplay-only) Elven cloak from earlier and attempts to make himself look more naturally attuned. "Althior or Arasmyth, could you use an Emerald to make vines start growing from my clothes? It will give them a more 'natural' look, lending to the illusion that I am in actuality friendly toward the Elves." Arthur then goes outside and examines the bodies for any other details that might lend credence to their story.

[K-Nut]

Althior rode through the forest a few times, searching for Finnegan, but he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't worry, since he had a feeling this was the final wave. "Alright, listen up! Arthur, Check that telescope for oncoming elves! I'm not entirely sure on posing as elves right now. We need as many preparations as possible, So I want Xander and Lewis to turn the corpses of the dead elves into Skeleton Decoys. It's a gruesome job, but someone has to do it. Isabella, take the slice-n-dice. Anyone with consumables (Mead, Smelling Salts, Nostrum) drink those now!" Althior chugs his Mead, Smelling Salts, and Nostrum. "Once we know where the elves are coming from, we'll take all of our fire bombs and bury them in that general area, clear? We've made it this far, team. Let's finish this." Althior held his locket, the last thing holding him on to humanity. Since the last time he'd seen Alexis, he'd become a murderer, a bully, and plain evil. He was no better than Abraxas himself. But he had accomplished good things in this short, six month period in Heroica. He'd defeated Abraxas' messenger, saved innocent animals, stopped an evil witch, made and helped friends, and made Finnegan, who was no longer his friend or companion, but his Partner. He couldn't worry about him now, but he'd find him.

[Kadabra]

"Yes, you're correct in that I'm capable of solely Wind and Lightning Spells, Althior's, so if Will or Arthur wants the Emerald, they can have it."

OOC: You two are the only ones who expresses interest, if I remember correctly, so either of you can have it.

[K-Nut]

"Yes, you're correct in that I'm capable of solely Wind and Lightning Spells, Althior's, so if Will or Arthur wants the Emerald, they can have it."

"Alright, since Arthur can make use of it for now, I'll give it to him, but you must promise to give it to Will after the quest, okay?"

[Capt.JohnPaul]

I bury my last two firebombs by the West and East wall.

"Arthur, I like that plan! Or if Althior thinks that's too risky, we could hide in the forest, and ambush them when they are already busy with the defenders."

[Dharkan]

"I'll save my fire bombs for combat, don't worry I'll use them safely." Isabella giggles.

[K-Nut]

I bury my last two firebombs by the West and East wall.

Althior rushes over and stops Alex. "Don't bury those yet! Once we know where the elves are coming from, we can bury them there."

[Flipz]

"Thank you Arasmyth. I shall make good use of it for now, but once the Quest is over, I will return it to William."

"Althior, are you sure? Unless you'd like to build an onager from the remains of the elven ones that have attacked us, my expertise in siege weaponry will be minimally helpful, and the Count can handle such preparations in any case. If nothing else, we can confuse the Elves, or force them to strike before they are ready. I shall look through my telescope from the top of the tallest tower, and if we go forth I shall let you borrow my telescope while we are gone. Arasmyth and Alexandre seem to be ready to go along with this, it's a valuable opportunity, and we may even be able to loot the Elven encampment, which would be most helpful."

"Alexandre, if Althior approves our scouting mission, I'd like you to let Isabella or one of the others borrow your crossbow, since we'd only be fighting at melee range if the Elves discern our deception."

[K-Nut]

"Althior, are you sure? Unless you'd like to build an onager from the remains of the elven ones that have attacked us, my expertise in siege weaponry will be minimally helpful, and the Count can handle such preparations in any case."

"The elves will not be fooled. They's rather die in battle than retreat and go back to the camp. If they do return to the camp, it would be because the fortress would be in their command. they're too smart. I say let's be happy with the siege weaponry we have, and strengthen whatever part of the fort they're coming at."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

"The elves will not be fooled. They's rather die in battle than retreat and go back to the camp. If they do return to the camp, it would be because the fortress would be in their command. they're too smart. I say let's be happy with the siege weaponry we have, and strengthen whatever part of the fort they're coming at."

"You happen to forget I'm an elf too. We can fool them with my diplomacy. Surprise is the most powerful weapon. We could even see what equipment and numbers they have. Right now, we're completely in the dark." Know your enemy, and know yourself, and in 100 battles, you'll never be in peril.

EDIT: Just realized, we could use the fire bombs to cause more damage before the attack to burn them down.

Edited March 18, 2012 by Capt.JohnPaul

[Flipz]

"You happen to forget I'm an elf too. We can fool them with my diplomacy. Surprise is the most powerful weapon. We could even see what equipment and numbers they have. Right now, we're completely in the dark." Know your enemy, and know yourself, and in 100 battles, you'll never be in peril.

EDIT: Just realized, we could use the fire bombs to cause more damage before the attack to burn them down.

"Exactly. And it will give us an opportunity to see more of the gorgeous builds created by the Voice in the Sky. Or, if you're that worried, send Alexandre and Arasmyth alone, they're both Elves, and Alexandre's Diplomacy is exactly suited for this thing."

"While thu rest o' ya argue, I'm goin' ta take stock o' all our defenses."

[Brickdoctor]

"While thu rest o' ya argue, I'm goin' ta take stock o' all our defenses."

You recall that you have spikes in front of the West Wall, South-East Wall, and East Wall, preventing siege weapons from approaching the wall. You have a camouflaged pit in front of the West Wall which has failed to fool any elf. You have two rock-poury-things, one water-poury-thing, and one oil-poury-thing that no one really remembers the location of.

Looking through your telescope, you see movement all around you.

[K-Nut]

You recall that you have spikes in front of the West Wall, South-East Wall, and East Wall, preventing siege weapons from approaching the wall. You have a camouflaged pit in front of the West Wall which has failed to fool any elf. You have two rock-poury-things, one water-poury-thing, and one oil-poury-thing that no one really remembers the location of.

Looking through your telescope, you see movement all around you.

"I think this may be known as Olegia's Alamo. Arthur, see how much movement there is from each direction!"

[Brickdoctor]

Arthur, you see a fair amount of movement to the south, small amounts of movement to the north and east, and a MegaBlokin' ton of movement to the west.

[K-Nut]

Arthur, you see a fair amount of movement to the south, small amounts of movement to the north and east, and a MegaBlokin' ton of movement to the west.

"Arthur, describe a "MegaBlokin' ton of movement" would you?" "Since I'm not doing anything, I'll make as many Skeleton Decoys out of the dead elves as I can."

[Capt.JohnPaul]

I think the poury and rocky things were on each of the main towers.

[Flipz]

"Welp, looks like we'll need more gear, then. I'll scrounge what parts I can from the destroyed Elven onagers and build one onager of our own from the spare parts."

Arthur suddenly has another brilliant idea. "Guys, quick, we need to melt down as much metal as we can into a wire." While he speaks, he nails a wooden stake to each end of a plank, making a U-shape. He then fashions a crude swivel stand for the device, allowing the ends to be aimed at various foes. "If we wrap the wires around the stakes, then have Arasmyth operate it with bolts of Lightning, we'll get a device that acts a lot like a Sorcerer's Shield effect can pull the enemy's gear (and gold) out of their hands. Isabella's help with the catapults made me think of it, I call it the Isabella-inator."

"If anyone else has any ideas, no matter how crazy, NOW is the time."

Just then, Arthur notices his book start to grow. In his haste, he scribbles quickly, making no note of spelling, grammar, or politeness.

Perhaps youre subconsciously reliving your past life as you linve in Oleagaia, and it's a way of your mamories trying to reveal themselfs to you.

Of course it makes sense, divergenses in temporal flow are one of the primae ways to produce new Planes, my father used to travl through them all the time. I encourage you to send him a letter; perhaps he has visited this world and mae have som answers for you. I'd send it myself, but my people already distrust Father, and if he is caught corresponding with me, they will not hesistate to have him asasinnated.

I am sorri for the hasty and messy reply, we are surrounded by Elves and in dire straits, and I haven't time to wrie clearly. You mentioned scientists--do you know ANY of their secrets? Even the slightest advantage could be a huge aid against the Brobric. Remember, we have all of the elements at our aid, thanks to Althior, and we also have the expertise of the Lion Knights' seige weaponry expert, Count Knyghton. Twilight approaches. Please, gather the opinions of all your friends, and all the members of your party. I fear that if we fail here, a far worse fate awaits Eubric. We must succeed at all costs, hold no plan back. I wish you good fortune, brother. Stay safe. Stay strong. May we both live to meet again.

--[Arthur's Rune]

Arthur's breath chills, as an unnatural cold fills his body. He whispers silently, as if to De'kra. "Hurry. They are coming."

[K-Nut]

"If anyone else has any ideas, no matter how crazy, NOW is the time."

"Alright! Get me a can. While I'm scraping the flesh off these elves, I'll puke into the can, we can boil it, and then we can throw it on the elves and see what happens!" "I'll also rip off the belts of them to fasten stuff down if need be. I like the Onager idea too, Arthur! So Lewis, see if you can build that up by the Mini Merlin Trebuchet so I can have Will, in a hastened matter, operate both at once!" Althior worried for Finnegan. He hoped no matter where he was, his best friend was alright.

[Flipz]

"Hey, yeah, where is Finnegan? If nothing else, we can dress him in a hula skirt and have him dance the luau to distract the Elves. I'm gonna go look for him, everyone else, keep working."