Chapter 63: Changes
The sinking sun casts long shadows between the peaks. Hopefully this battle will be quick as you have no wish to fight against the White Mage's creatures in the dark.
"Looks like our bait just left," Ceannard coolly remarks as he lowers his spyglass, "Should only be a few more minutes."
So far your plan has gone off without a hitch. Lyssa's eagle reached its destination unimpeded. Your message to Nanshe was delivered and she quickly met you in the Dreaming to discuss strategy. What she told you was encouraging though some of it worried you slightly.
She still has over one hundred and fifty braves at her disposal and a half dozen priests capable of throwing a little magic. Your shared enemy numbers only about fifty, and only twenty five or so are mages. They are outnumbered more than three to one but these are mages and even if they have been fighting all day and without leadership you do not want to take any more chances than you need to.
Odd howls pierce your thoughts.
Those would be the 'hounds'. Nanshe told you all she could of the creatures: they are undead, the reanimated remains of dozens of species fused together and given malicious will by the necromancers of the Watcher; they are fast, they are strong, they are reasonably intelligent but Nanshe has informed you that they are also irreplaceable. The facilities needed to construct them were raised with the rest of the Watcher's temple in the north and she is certain that he lacks the means to create more quickly. They will be dangerous enemies but if you can kill most of them here then you will have robbed the Watcher of even more assets and further weakened his legions.
"Here they come," Thaïs notes quietly. She points into the distance and you follow her finger as a pack of ten hounds pour out of the shadows of the mountain and across the valley between you. They make for your decoy at top speed.
This is all part of the plan. You have hidden your forces in amongst the cliffs of this mountain, a near neighbour to the one currently inhabited by the ghôls. The idea is a simple one, the ghôls will send out a party of warriors carrying a fake Thin White Mage. This bait group will do their best to flee away from the mountain and past your forces. When the enemy pursues, you will spring your trap and thin out their numbers while the ghôls sally forth. You will trap the enemy between your advancing forces and obliterate them.
Everyone liked the plan.
Nanshe did have one concern though and her fear is playing out before you now.
The hounds are on the move and they are far faster than the ghôls.
The bait group is going to take heavy casualties but there is little you can do about that. Nanshe has assured you that her people
will manage to pass through your ambush point, one way or another.
When you asked her to elaborate she merely winked at you. She said that her people are accustomed to sacrifice and suffering, they are born to it, they live it, soaking it up every day of their lives and they will die in it. She said they will not let a little more suffering stop them now.
You are still not sure exactly what she intends to do but it matters little, you can not afford to reveal your presence until enough of the enemy are within range to make a difference. You watch as the group of thirty ghôls are overrun and begin a desperate fight for their lives. The hounds cut off their advance slithering, slinking, bounding around them in loose circles. The ghôls close ranks and press on at top speed, forcing an opening with fist and spear. The hounds dart in, in pairs; they strike out with barbed tendrils, keen claws and clacking mandibles. The ghôls fall quickly, dragged down and pulled from their formation by the clucking, squeaking, roaring beasts. In under a minute they have already lost a third of their number, pinned under their attackers.
Then something curious happens.
As the hounds tear into their struggling prey an explosion resounds from the valley and a pair of combatants blink from existence. This explosion is soon met by a second and a third.
You focus in on the closest struggling figures and you quickly realize why. From within his armour the downed ghôl draws a wight chunk and punchtures it. The ghôls are killing themselves to thin out the hounds and you are struck by just how far they are willing to go to achieve their goals. You watch on with a mixture of admiration and anxiety as the fleshy bomb detonates and both ghôl and beast are consumed by the toxic cloud thrown up. Their flesh is ripped from their bones by the blast and what little is not dispersed is consumed by the corrosive waste. Paralyzed, the pair can not even scream as they die.
Ten hounds for ten ghôl, a bargain really.
Half of the mages have also broken off from the main assault. They are quite a bit slower than the hounds but they should reach the ghôls within moments.
Sure enough they begin to fling bolts of magic toward the fleeing formation. One bolt of vermilion energy strikes a ghôl and punches a half metre hole through its chest, he tilts forward, falling to his knees as the life runs out of him. The mage that threw it, an old man in matching vermilion robes, has definite skill even if he demonstrates little in the way of finesse.
"We should take out that vermilion mage in the first volley," Ceannard remarks, "A lot of power behind that one."
As cold as it is Ceannard has the right idea. Identifying the most powerful mages in that pack of twelve will definitely increase your odds should they fall into your trap. Speaking of which...
You focus in on the other eleven mages.
You watch on as a mage with a large chunk of amber around her neck begins to scream. The three ghôls closest to her fall to their knees, blood seeping from their eyes and ears. You draw Ceannard's attention to her, "Another one that needs to go down quickly. We do not need to lose half our number to a scream or two."
The Mercenary Captain nods without taking his eyes from his spyglass, "So that is two that need to fall immediately-"
Thaïs cuts him off, "Three I think. Look at that green blur on the right."
You redirect your attention, attempting to catch sight of the mage in question. At first you can not focus on it, it darts back and forth quicker than you can move your spyglass, however eventually it does slow down and come to a stop. It pauses right before driving a pair of knives deep into the side of a fleeing ghôl. For that single moment you take it in, its proportions are vaguely human, two arms, two legs, a torso, a head and that is where the similarities end. It's pair of jaws unhinge as it emits a single high pitched scream and tears two large chunks from its prey's shoulder.
The ghôl falls, seemingly paralysed, as the mage moves on to a new target.
Only five of the ghôls remain, their decoy mage flung limply over the shoulder of the lead ghôl. Thankfully they are almost within range.
"That one might be difficult," Ceannard admits with a little reluctance, "But you are right, if it reaches our lines it could do a lot of damage."
"How should we-" you begin to ask but the Arrow raises his hand.
"I will deal with it myself," he reassures you, "It will not be a problem."
"Well it better not," you answer, "As we are out of time."
--------------------------------------
He stands triumphant.
In this cave, smeared with dirt, covered in filth, his clothes torn, his hair dishevelled, he is triumphant!
He begins the ritual:
In this age of grand illusion
You walked into my life out of my dreams
I don't need another change
Still you forced away into my scheme of things
You say we're growing, growing heart and soul
In this age of grand illusion you walked into my life out of my dreams
He has them all now, a full set for his collection and though he should feel magnificent all he has are so many doubts. Still he sings, binding them to him:
Sweet name, you're born once again for me
Sweet name, you're born once again for me
Oh sweet name, I call you again
You're born once again for me
Just because I believe don't mean I don't think as well
Don't have to question everything in heaven or hell
This victory cost him an army, it cost him his pride and even now he is not quite sure how he is going to make his report to the Old Goat.
From what Vermillion tells him it was a very close thing. That trio of human mages were not present with the traitor Nanshe, that much he realized himself though it came too late to prevent his capture. No, they waited in safety while he fought the rebels and it was only after he had been removed that they came to- to what? That is the question isn't it?
He spins on his heels and commands the four of them to speak. They sing sweetly to him in unison:
Lord, I kneel and offer you my word on a wing
And I'm trying hard to fit among your scheme of things
It's safer than a strange land but I still care for myself
And I don't stand in my own light
Lord, Lord, my prayer flies like a word on a wing
My prayer flies like a word on a wing
Does my prayer fit in with your scheme of things?
Hmm, a good start. They aim to please and to follow and yet they echo his own doubts. It will take many sessions to fully bind them and he will have to clear his own mind first. For now he settles on lashing their minds and picking up the scraps that fall out.
Death.
Trap.
Purged.
Removed.
Freedom.
Reward.
He continues to slash at their consciousness as they whine and beg for him to stop.
Does he have enough pieces now?
Yes. They sought to kill him, permanently, for a reward...
Permanently? He turns the idea over in his mind. So, Mazzarin revealed to these four how to permanently end his life? Yes, that makes sense. Clearly the old Avatara knew that the Watcher could not fail so long as he was around. Surely the Great Mage sought to strike a crippling blow to his old rival by murdering his only competent agent...
It is brilliant plan really and one that would have succeeded had his followers not proven their worth in battle. When the three humans struck and the traitor's forces sallied down from their holes his own minions were hard at work. They bound every beast within a day's travel of the battlefield to their will, they conjured up demons, devils, horrors from the very ether. They sold what was left of their souls and minds into a double slavery merely to buy their master's freedom and they succeeded though at great cost.
They forced their way into his cave and they liberated him and once free he unleashed his full fury on his captors. He purged every last one of the filth and chain Nanshe to the bare rock of her own cave.
Then he went
hunting and though they fled they could not escape him. He punished those dear ladies and stripped from them all distractions.
Yes, he lost a great a great deal to gain them but he does not mourn his servants. They did precisely as was expected of them, no more and no less. They fulfilled their purpose and earned their peace so he will not dwell on them for a moment more than is necessary.
Now he must turn to more pressing matters. Now he must know how these four planned to do it, how they planned to end his life. He begins to form another command for his new servants. They will tell him everything, every contact they have, every secret they know, every scrap of-
Amber intrudes upon his interrogation, dragging a pair of young bodies behind her, "What should we do with the corpses Master?"
He grins, it is that little brat from the battlefield and her, sister?
Well, they shall make delightful little thralls won't they?
He instructs Amber to gather them all: the ghôls, the human mercenaries and those children and prepare them to be raised. He should be able to get a necromancer up from the south within a day or two, it will not be enough to replace what he has lost but it is a start.
Amber salutes him. He waves her off, always such the soldier that one. He supposes that such habits are hard to break, bred into the very bones as they are.
She withdraws and once more leaves him with his latest conquests.
With a sublime smile he calms his mind and begins again:
In this age of grand illusion
You walked into my life out of my dreams
Sweet name, you're born once again for me
Just as long as I can see, I'll never stop this vision flowing
I look twice and you're still flowing
Just as long as I can walk,
I'll walk beside you, I'm alive in you
Sweet name, you're born once again for me
And I'm ready to shape the scheme of things
---------------------------------------
Amber weaves her way through the smoking remnants of the ghôl camp. She is all smiles today for she has achieved all that she desires, at least for now.
Behind her she drags Biliku and Uttu's corpses, each by one foot. Such dear little girls, it will be good to get to know them properly in the coming days.
So bravely those girls fought and the mercenaries too. To the last man, she is sure of that, to the very last they fought and their captain was the bravest of them all. He, hmm, he stepped in front of Uttu, shielding her from a blow that would have cleaved the child in half and for her part she struck down his murderer with a trio of arrows.
Yes, Amber likes that, nice and dramatic.
The girls themselves? How did they meet their ends?
Why they perished together, surrounded by wolves and bears and demons in the dozens. They fought with skill and with bravery but their position was overrun and they were separated from their 'charges'. They were pulled away from the mages and hacked down by a six headed monstrosity with a sabre of whistling bone in each of its twelve hands-
No, twelve is far too many, six hands?
Six hands, it had six hands and in each a blade of whistling bone.
And that Berty fellow? Disappeared. Dead perhaps but if he did die then it was in some mysterious fashion. An end that matches perfectly the life he led.
Of course the mages could not perish. The Master would be furious if that happened. No, they all lived and he got exactly what he wanted, much easier that way.
Much easier if he is happy.
If he is happy then she is as well, happy enough to sing even:
The lover of life's not a sinner
It makes her master more confident.
The ending is just a beginner
It makes him less likely to question the little details.
The closer you get to the meaning
And it makes him far more
entertaining.
The sooner you'll know that you're dreaming
Amber steps out into the cool mountain air and drops the two little corpses. As they hit the ground they dissolve into mist.
So it's on and on and on, oh it's on and on and on
From her back a pair of wings burst forth, dark as the night, as the last bits of her illusion dissolve to reveal the true master of this land. He takes to the air.
It goes on and on and on, Heaven and Hell
He laughs and sings as he disappears beyond the mountains. Morpheus, the Lord of the Dreaming has added one more piece to his collection.
I can tell,
Fool, fool!
-------------------------------------------------
You have some truly bizarre allies. This observation is so painfully obvious but it only really hits you as you sit here with your better half and the other members of your conspiracy. To Thaïs' right sits Lyssa, the former necromancer, to your left sits Nanshe, the ghôl empress, and across from you all sits Sparassidae, the White Lady and wife to the demon lord Morpheus.
A necromancer.
A ghôl.
And a demon Lady of the Dreaming.
Ah well, you will take what you can get. Lyssa has proven to be a faithful ally and a good friend. Nanshe has demonstrated herself to be a reliable co-conspirator and the Lady has proven quite charming and useful even if you do not trust her. Now if only her husband would arrive so that you can conclude your business h-
They say that life's a carousel
Spinning fast, you've got to ride it well
The world is full of kings and queens
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
It's heaven and hell, oh well
Morpheus bursts forth into the meadow, gliding down in an amber skirt and vest that are far too tight for him. Sparassidae taps her fingers on the table, bobbing her head slightly as her husband sings. Seems like she wants to start dancing but lacks a partner.
And they'll tell you black is really white
The moon is just the sun at night
And when you walk in golden halls
You get to keep the gold that falls
It's heaven and hell, oh no
Morpheus touches down next to his wife and greets you all with a wide grin.
Fool, fool
You've got to bleed for the dancer
Fool, fool
Look for the answer
Fool, fool, fool
Those razor sharp teeth still send a shiver down your spine.
He takes a moment to catch his breath and unwind then he begins, "And how are my beautiful ladies this evening?"
You answer with a question, "How is our prisoner?"
The Demon Lord grunts, a little deflated, "Good, great in fact. He is currently interrogating you about your connections to the archmage Mazzarin. He seems to think he is the target of a grand conspiracy orchestrated by the Great Mage himself. He also thinks that you are Mazzarin's apprentices."
Sparassidae gasps and gives you a questioning glance, "Are you dear ladies actually apprentices to the Great Mage himself? Why you should have told us that..."
"We are-" you begin.
"Acquaintances of his," Thaïs diplomatically answers for you, "Is that a problem?"
The Lady smiles warmly, "Not at all, not at all..."
You turn your attention back to the Demon Prince, "So he suspects nothing then?"
The Demon grins, "Of course not! The Dreaming has him comfortably bound and even as we speak my goblins are seeing to additional security measures to ensure he remains safely enveloped by his own dreams and delusions. He will be 'conquering the world' for the rest of time."
A fitting fate for the Watcher's Creature, to carry out his master's campaign for the rest of eternity.
Of course, this means that you have completed your side of the bargain. Now Morpheus has to complete his, he owes you a favour.
You do not have to remind him, one quick scan of the four of you tells him everything he needs to know. He sighs, "Time to collect your favours I suppose."
"Metal," Nanshe declares, "I want you to teach me this Metal of yours."
The Demon Prince winces, "What about wealth? I know of a great many unguarded treasures, caches of gold and artefacts, ancient tomes of forbidden knowledge, anything really."
The ghôl glares at him but he presses on, "I could even teach you some of the Nightmare that allows me to manipulate the Dreaming. It would give you a fraction of my own power and-"
The White Lady places a single lace covered hand on her husband's forearm, "If that is what your ally wants dear then that is what we must give her but..."
"But?" Nanshe questions.
Morpheus nods, "The secrets of musical magic are worth a great deal to my people and they could do a lot of harm in the hands of mortals. You have only a one fifth claim to the prize on the Thin White Mage and that is not nearly enough to cover the cost of learning our ways."
You think you understand where Morpheus is headed with this, "So some of what you can offer us is available on an individual basis and some of it will require us to pool our favours, is that correct?"
"As you say," Morpheus nods, "The secrets of our magic take years to master and cost a great deal, should you wish to acquire them I will require unanimity amongst you."
Lyssa grumbles, "Sounds like a good way to make us all burn through our favours at once."
The Prince grins, "You are of course free to choose something else."
Well, this will take a bit of discussion and negotiation so without wasting another moment you begin.
1. Your reward: You have successfully given the Thin White Mage to Morpheus. For this service you are entitled to a favour or favours depending on what exactly you choose. The Demon Price has promised you anything it is in his power to give so you take:
A) Metal - Or more generally the secrets of the demons' musical magic. This will require you to undergo a number of training sessions under Morpheus and perhaps other demons that he trusts. It is likely to take years, if not decades, to master and it can be quite dangerous both to you and the world at large but there is definite power to be had there and it is unlike anything you have encountered before. Morpheus insists that all four of you select this favour if you want it so if this option wins it will expend all the favours the Prince owes your group.
B) Morpheus' Nightmare - Morpheus will teach you the basics of the Nightmare he uses to control his realm. Should you choose this option you will be able to manipulate the Dreaming to a degree normally impossible for mortals, you will also gain greater control over your own form and the forms of others. Additionally you will become more powerful in general within the Dreaming. It will likely take multiple sessions to learn all that Morpheus is willing to teach you and you will likely have to perform other favours in the future to gain all of the knowledge necessary to master the spell. Morpheus will only teach your group the Nightmare should all three of you choose to learn it though he is willing to teach Nanshe by herself should she desire. You are not sure why he is giving her preferential treatment in this regard though it is interesting. Should this option win it will also expend all of your favours.
C) Individual favours: Morpheus knows a great deal that a mage and adventurer might find interesting and he is willing to grant each of you individual favours as long as they are 'reasonable'. As such if you pick this option then please list which three favours you would like. The most popular three will be chosen should this option win.
i. Favour of Wealth - Morpheus will give you the information necessary to find a cache of gold buried southeast of Stoneheim. The cache is probably worth abotu 700WPs.
ii. Favour of Power - Morpheus knows where an undisturbed cache of artefacts made by the Swimmer are located and is willing to give you this information in exchange for a favour. He does not know exactly what is in the cache, only that it was thought to be quite powerful.
iii. Favour of Knowledge - Morpheus knows of an abandoned tower several days to the east of your current location. It was home to a Circle of reclusive mages that were wiped out when the Dark pushed into the west. They specialized and mental and illusion magic and were known to also practice demon summoning and binding. He is not sure exactly what you will find but it should be interesting.
iv. Favour of Adventure - Morpheus has heard rumours about the location of the Dream Soulblighter used to mould the earth. If would be willing to tell you all he knows in exchange for a favour.
v. Favour of Aid - Morpheus will hold a favour in reserve until you call upon him. He will then do his best to protect you or your people and/or destroy an enemy of your choice. With one exception, he will not fight Mazzarin for you, he does not wish to die. You may choose this option as many times as you like.
D)
freeform - If you want to request something else then list it and I can tell you whether it will expend a single favour or all of them.
2. A whispering campaign: With your business in the mountains concluded Ceannard and his remaining Arrows will return to Myrgard. You might want to give them some parting instructions. In particular you might want to advise Mayer and Timo to try and undermine the Cultists by spreading rumours that Eberhardt's resurrection was the work of the Dark. It might be to your advantage to try and further muddy the waters though it could also have other consequences.
A) Yes, you might as well pursue every option at your disposal to discredit your enemies. It is possible that this is an avenue your people have not yet tried and even if Mayer and Timo have already undertaken similar efforts it is always best to be sure.
B) No, you do not want to spend time and resources on this. Better to just let your people in the city do what they think is best.
C)
freeform
3. Calling Alric: You have had a strange idea. If the Kingdom and the Empire could reconcile their differences then you might be able to get additional support from the north. If the Emperor is made aware of the presence of the Watcher on his southern border he may even come in person to help quash this old enemy. There are a number of ways you could try to contact him should you desire.
A) You do not bother. You doubt anything meaningful will come from the effort and Albrecht may resent you bargaining on behalf of the Kingdom behind his back like that.
B) You directly contact the Emperor through the Dreaming. This might be quite dangerous as the Emperor likely has substantial defences in place to prevent demons and other entities from entering his mind or dreams.
C) You will contact Eagle through his dreams. He should be easier to reach though he may be difficult to convince. However, as a Heron Guard he should be able to get word through his superiors directly to Alric.
D) You will contact Gareth. He should also be easier to reach and he should also be easier to convince. He could then attempt to use his contacts within the Legion to get a message to the Heron Guard or the Emperor himself. This might serve to draw the attentions of the Brannons to Gareth's company though.
E) Send a letter by eagle directly to the Emperor. He likely has even more physical protection than he does magical protection and the Brannons might intercept such a message as well but it would not involve any of your people or your contacts/allies.
F) You will contact Albrecht and convince him to send a letter to the Emperor with an official envoy through the proper channels.
G)
Operation: An Unknown Wellwisher:
- Contact Gareth in the Dreaming. Morpheus should assume his human form for that, and since Gareth is not a mage, it should not raise too many questions. Morpheus is the one we hired to cast this spell to contact him, end of story.
- Have Gareth write a letter to Eagle with all the necessary information about the severity of the situation and the extent of the Watcher's invasion. Having it written by one of us ensures that we have full control over its content and that it won't get 'altered' on the way to Muirthemne.
- The letter should mention that we are the senders, as we rely on our connection to Eagle to eventuially get it to the Emperor. I will give an example of such a letter if needed.
- Complement the letter with physical proof as necessary. Nephila should be carrying Gullveig's documents to Muirthemne as we speak.
- Have the letter and the documents delivered to the Heron Guard headquarters anonymously. Gareth can hire a homeless brat for a silver piece, or Brigit can do something fancy like firing an arrow in their courtyard, or whatever - the point is that the connection between Gareth's company and the letter should not be exposed. We should not teach this to someone who have made discretion their motto.
- The end result of this is that a letter mysteriously ends up at the Heron Guards headquarters, and Eagle is the one who gets our message without us contacting him via the Dreaming or letting him know about Mabd or Gareth.
This plan comes in two alternative options:
i) You wait for Albrecht's go-ahead before you proceed with the plan. It would only be polite to ask him beforehand. This could be done with an eagle or via other means.
ii) You proceed without the King's explicit permission. It is stupid to concern yourself with formalities when so much is at stake, and you think you might need to act fast.
H)
freeform
4. Calling Mazzarin: You think the demonic host that has been lurking in the south is the product of something Mazzarin has done. You could try using your necklaces to call to the Great Mage and demand an audience, of course you may have to use up your last favour to get him to do anything worth while and there may be consequences should you annoy him again.
A) You will call Mazzarin and ask for an explanation on why he is not helping to fight the Watcher.
B) You would rather not draw the Great Mage's attention again unless you absolutely have to.
C)
freeform
5. The Spoils of War: Nanshe's people have claimed all the spoils from your ambush. You could contest their claim to the loot should you wish.
A) You let the ghôls keep all of the valuables they have looted.
B) You demand the possessions from the vermillion, amber and green mages. Those three were the most powerful you noticed and your people killed them. By right their possessions should be yours.
i. You will take everything including their Watcher fragments.
ii. You will take only their spellbooks and artefacts, you will leave the stones.
C) You will claim all of the artefacts and spellbooks taken from the twelve mages your people killed.
i. You will also take their stones.
ii. You will leave their Watcher stones.
D) You will claim all of the loot from all enemies killed in the ambush.
i. You will also take their stones.
ii. You will leave their Watcher stones.
E) You will take half of the loot and everything from the vermillion, amber and green mages.
F)
freeform