** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[Chris1234]

Karlane wracks her brains for how to make holy oil. {@Spike - Does she know?}
The drow's comments, coupled with her own visions and how easily the caravan fell, cause Karlane to pause as she smells a rat.
She ignores the byplay between Valtor and Whisper and says "Ok, portal's ready. Let's use the wildfire to dispose of the dead. Don't need a pit, it's usually stick; just pull the dead into a pile.'"

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{OOC: After dinner 'we were just passing and though we'e surprise you' guests arrived. Stayed 5 hours so I didn't have a chance to do this last night, sorry}

@Spike: Dead can still be talked to via speak with dead. Do you allow this to be prevented by removal of the jawbone? (e.g. 'can't talk if raised so cant talk if undead' kind of thing.)
Also, will wildfire likely to put a corpse & its bones beyond the ability of Speak with Dead?

[spike]

wildfire: : alchemiac greek oil, volatile kind of like Nitroglycerin.

Garosh said 'Afraid not, I only use the crossbow' he seemed to ignore you for the time being, more heavier things on his mind.

Valtor: 'if you make mention of that infernal flying cheesecutter once again you're drive me absolutely mad. Holster it away, addled one, nobody is relying on your martial skills for protection, we'd be a sorry bunch if we did. Yet the priestess raises a good point, keep it with you if you wish to prolong your continued good health. Especially if we meet any real opponents in battle. What will you do when your magic is spent, talk them to death? You certain can try!'

Azonia chuckled, but looked taut and alert suddenly.

Just then the spectral image of a large hooded figure materializes in the air, and through a cowl of inky darkness peered two eyes full of gleaming intellect and calculating deviousness. He was an older man, apparently. With a mocking smile he spoke in a sly, calculating voice that bespoke a mixture of deviousness and sinister mirth 'Ah, at last...you fools have fallen into my trap so easily. It was quite effortless to dupe these expendable assets into serving as bait for my little ruse, ha ha ha...

Just then the party heard what sounded like a horn blast just east of your current position, and a flaming crossbow bolt went flying straight into the air. You can see what appears to be a mounted black orc nearby who fired the projectile.

From the west, the party can feel vibration of the earth and approaching horses.

[Chris1234]

Karlane says simply, "Garosh, stand or go?" expecting the most experienced of them to realize she was asking for his judgement call on whether they could being down whatever had just materialized and a cavalry brigade (if it actually exists). She turned to the materialised thing, to give Garosh a moment to think, and continued, "And have we met? Is it your cousin I'm trying to save?" {OOC: Thinking this is the vampiric Lord Altreus, the original Whisper of this world.}

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@Spike - can you add detail on "spectral image of a large hooded figure materializes in the air", please? Is it transparent? Incomplete body? i.e. is it a spectre? Any popping noise indicating a teleport? Does Karlane recognize him?

[spike]

Hovering head: The spectral image of the hooded visage hovering in the air above you appears to be a projected image and is quite large, transparent. After the ghostly image spoke it said nothing further, and vanished.

Garosh: 'Let's move, north. I saw a summit a mile northwest of here with some ruins crowning it. You two elves know of it?'

The pair of elves perked up, nodding and somewhat taken aback by the fighter's straight forwardness, but they regain their composure and grinned 'you're...Lord Daynar's man!' the she-elf said with reverence. The fighter seemed to bristle and sort of scowled then rolls his eyes 'oh brother' he simply said.

You can now see 25 mounted orcs east of you, they're very far away but drawing closer (since they're mounted) and still hear sounds of horses west of you.

Garosh guided the party swiftly north by northwest and through the trees ahead you see a summit crowned by the ruins of an elvish watch-tower. Nym called upon his drow powers and levitated up to the top of of the summit and lowered a rope.

Sarancen: suddenly knocked out the drow prisoner with a block to the base of his skull and tied him up. 'What' we do with this drow elf? Karlene?'

[Chris1234]

Karlane asks, "Garosh, why have we come here? What is wrong with using the portal?"

[spike]

'Because that's precisely what that masked man with the pompous tone wanted you to do' he shrugged, 'he was trying to get you to use the portal, I could tell. I'm not much of a mind reader, but I know a tell when I see one. I'm a professional gambler, priestess. He was goading you into using the portal. Here we can draw them out to us, you think some brigands and orcs actually scare me?' he laughed, then said 'for all you know they think we already did go through the portal'

Valtor: 'he may be right, some wizards are able to scry in such ways' he said, 'but why would he wish to?'

Garosh: "That's for you to deduce, elf'

[Chris1234]

"So are you saying the weapons are lost to us?" asks Karlane, at a loss to know how the enemy can be so omniscient.

[spike]

'No, of course not' he said, then he began moving back to the caravan spot, and all of the weapons were still there and accounted for. 'Those forces were chasing after us, not the actual weapons' he remarked 'if we went through the portal they would have confiscated the weapons, since we didn't, they instead went about searching for us instead. How would you have escaped with the weaponry through the portal during a full scale assault?' he asked you.

[Chris1234]

"Unless I'm missing something, or you have long sight, the caravan we've just left was the decoy caravan. The stuff we're interested in, apart from possiblt the wildfire with the decoy caravan, is a couple of hours gallop up the road. And we've set up portals at both. Now, what am I missing? Are we hear to meet or help other elves? Or to defeat the forces following us? Or what?" presses Karlane, worried that she seemed to have lost her grasp on reality.

[spike]

Garosh: 'Get the wildfire, it'll come in handy later' he turned to Karlene 'let's go get the elves their weapons now, I received word from my liege not to use the portal you established yet, so that the enemy would not discover that you possessed one, much less two. If that were so they would track you to the ends of the earth to get their filthy claws on them' he paused to drink some water then said 'my liege's house wizard, Aronis is a master strategist, he has guile and wit as much as I have had whores and wine in my youth. If he's so insistent on this minor inconvenience it wasn't for naught, trust me dhampir!'

Sarancen: 'okay, enough talk. Whisper, you disabled the wagon with the wildfire on it, how the hell can we transport all of these barrels?'

Garosh: 'roll them along the road into the portal, then elbow grease from there unless any of you can levitate them, I'm open to suggestions' he began singing some melody.

Azonia and Valtor began doing so until all of the barrels disappear through the portal.

When the party returned to the actual weapons caravan, Valtor guides the group to the banks of a river and he whispered a few words when a impressive looking frigate materialized into existence, having been completely invisible, but not just invisible as solid matter seemed to pass right through it. Valtor's crew, consisting of twelve former slaves gladly did all the work, and they were unusually happy and cheerful too. The big bellied elf barked commands at them gruffly and they complied with gusto, happy to serve the captain of The Wraith.

'It'll be just an hour, less if you fill the sails with some of your wind magic' Valtor looked at Karlene expectantly.

[SARRMATT]

Whisper takes a moment to study the spectral image for anything familiar or telling. [OoC] Would an INT or WIS check or the like be needed to see if this mage fits any memories or descriptions he knows or thinks he knows?

[spike]

Whisper takes a moment to study the spectral image for anything familiar or telling. [OoC] Would an INT or WIS check or the like be needed to see if this mage fits any memories or descriptions he knows or thinks he knows?

No, you've never seen him before at least you don't think so you can hardly see the face its shrouded in shadows and the voice is unfamiliar.

[Chris1234]

Karlane says quietly to Garosh, "Thank you for that," and then starts organizing to get the wildfire through the portal that leads to the weapons-caravan ambush site. When it's less obvious, she turns back to Garosh and queries, "How did Aronis get word to you? And how would he know what resource I have? Or have not? And who else would have this knowledge too? Or may do?"

[spike]

'Through this' Garosh shows you his cloak clasp, depicting the heraldic device of House Succundus (depicting a pheonix clutching a quiver of javelins), 'it enables me to speak telepathically to all others who wear them, the Duke had them created for all of his house's agents' he said 'Aronis Tenspells can scry and see things, he also works with some of your own order. I believe these gems you unearthed are important in some way, and so does he'

[Chris1234]

"Thanks you. They are important to Lor's purpose. But exactly how has yet to be revealed," replies Karlane with an accepting nod.

Turning to the pair of recently-joined elves, Karlane says, "What you seen and heard since you encountered me and these associates I wish to remain strictly between you and you queen. Will you respect that?"
Assuming they are able to, and do, confirm that level of confidentiality, the priestess continues, "The drow prisoner did not tell me about the scroll and so I have no commitment to him. I propose you take him to your people to be dealt with according to your laws. You will have gathered that we have intercepted an arms sipment, not major but still significant, that was on it's way to be used against your people. That in itself will give the forest-kin some relief. I decided to send the bulk of these arms to the ranger in the south; the one who secures the wlank of your kingdom. If he falls then your realm's security is threatened. I do not know the state of the caravan's wagon or wagons, but I had thought that if some are still usable, perhaps some portion of the arms could be diverted to your people. However, with the orc cavalry in attendance, and who knows what other forces in abeyance, perhaps that would not be so wise. But perhaps a few armloads could be moved without interception by the orcs. DO you wish to be bothered with that?"