4 - 067: The Fourth Piece

[K Man]

Romar, Irris and Tineniel -

Romar curses the strategic planning of the Elves, knowing full well they hit him with the only things that could. He goes full defensive, looking to Telena.

"We must do something! If we remain here those blasts of fire won't be the last of their cowardly tricks they'll employ against us. We should either surrender, retreat, or charge into their ranks! I for one would choose the latter!"

Telena shakes her head, listening to Tineniel.

"Telena, get your guards to spread out - but have two ready to run the wagon off with those lizards, as fast as they can - on my signal! The rest of us... we must hold them off as best we can, then when I give the order, scatter and let them pursue the wagon."

Tineniel then casts a short spell and moves foward, shouting across the dunes.

"You! Why do you attack the Gathered Nations?!"

Telena bellows.



"SPREAD OUT! You two, find the a pair of swift mounts and hook them up!"

She herself moves North, taking advantage of the spread.

In response to Tineniel's words, a shout comes back from the dunes beyond. A stern, royal voice and an ultimatuum.



"Leave the wagon and no more need die!"

Irris hops into the wagon with a 'sploosh'. [I'll buy your science Wiz, let me know what you want to do.]

The Elves pause, waiting for word on their leader's offer of surrendering the shard. [Readied Action]

The guards spread out, per their leader's orders and the remainder of the citizens flee in fear...

{Initiative: Romar, Telena and Tineniel, Prince Irinys, Irris, The Elven Warriors, The Guard, The Citizens}

Map;

.......................................................................w.
.........................................................................
...C.C.C...G...........................................................w.
...E.o.C................................................................w
.......C...G............................................................w.
........................................................................w
.......................................................................w.
...............................o........................................w
.......................................................................w.
.......................T................................................w
...........G........GG................................................w.
..............G......G..................................................w
.................[].xR.................................................P.
.................[].xx......L..o.......................................w.
..............G.....G......G.............................................
..............G......G.................................................w.
..........G.........G......G............................................w
...........o...........................................................w.
*......................................................................w
.......................................................................w.
........................................................................w
.......................................................................w.
.....o...................................................................
.......................................................................w.

[/pre]

...LEGEND...
o = Campfire
.... = Sand
[]
[] = Cart with Shard in it
G = Guard
* = Citizen of the Dune Palace
E = Erid
T = Telena
C = Nameless Council Member
R = Romar
I = Irris
L = Tineniel
w = Elven Warrior
P = Prince Irinys
x = Dead Guard

{Realistically, there are hundreds more citizens and guards, but an equal number of Elves to match. Let's focus on this portion of the battle for now.}

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those in the Fortress -

'The Master' continues to move about, running his bony fingers mockingly over the invisible walls that have you caged like rats. Girud ineffectually slams against them and nothing seems to be working. That skeletal face from beneath the overly large helm leers foward, empty sockets leering at Krysta.



"Cowardly? You enter my sanctuary outnumbering me seven to one and you have the gall to call me a coward?"

"No human, this is not a device for my safety, but a tool to teach a lesson."

'The Master' moves parallel to the walls of the cage, tapping his gauntlets on the over-sized blade which has never been used. As he moves, like a panther about the cage, he takes his time and studies each of you.

"Look at yourselves...made of flesh and weakness. It is no wonder my army has trampled man from one end of the lands to the other. How can you hope to survive with frailty as your only strongpoint."

"Do you know why they call me 'The Master'?"

The skeletal figures returns to his seat, leaning back non-chalantly in the throne, clearly considering you no threat at all. The arrogance is unrivaled.



"There was a time I was like you, made of meat and blood. I used to serve a man, a holy man that tried to teach me pious and god-filled life...as it turns out, he had chosen the weak gods."

"My true god, Wee Jas, was kind enough to grant me the knowledge of something better."

"It was me that led Karn to the fateful battle on the hill with Lurst. It was me that deceived everyone in my own death to bring me closer to my god. It was me that set into motion the ritual that would undo Karn and Lurst in a single battle, leaving me free to reign in their absence..."

"It is with my hand that the world has been shaped as it is today..."

'The Master' slams his fist into the arm of his throne, the empty gauntlet rattling around his bony hand.



"That is why I am 'The Master' now. No longer does Karn and his light reign, but my hand and death holds the future. I rule the dead and living. I command the world...I AM FOREVER!"

"...and you are nothing."

"That is what the little box you are in represents now. To teach you that I will last. That I am immortal and you are...consumable. I will watch, with great glee, as you wither into nothing-ness."

"Perhaps the Vampire will save me the trouble and make it entertaining..."

Try as you might, you cannot help but think this situation is hopeless....

__________________________________________________________________________________________

{You guys should have seen the local group when they got all pumped for the battle and then were suddenly left high and dry. Fear not though little adventurers, this is going somewhere. I just wanted to get a chance to let you know who he his, why he does this, and of course, to partake in witty banter. }

[VemuKhaham]

Romar didn't like the way this was going. Soon, he'd have it all the other way around: instead of the elves having the shard and the men surviving, Caelith, Callian and Telena were steering this towards a massacre, while the shard might be saved. When he hears the terms given by Irinys, he realizes it might be the last chance to have it his way. He moved up to Telena's side, and spoke to her privately before she had given her decision:

"Telena, whatever we do here, this is beyond our power to resist against. The elves give us a clear chance to safe the lives of many men, women and children. Ravenshead will find a shard elsewhere, we can't protect it here in the open desert against an army of well-trained elven warriors and mages twice the size of ours! Even if we flee, we will be traced. It is still a long way to the sea. Tineniel's plan is suicide; to parley was the first sensible thing he has done! Now grab this opportunity before it is gone."

---

Romar would now be standing 5feet north of Telena.

[Wizard]

(Not much...just looking down through the opening, and currently only seeing dark water.

[TheUdjat]

Tineniel looks skeptically over at Romar - he can practically smell the poison in the man's words, but it is a shame he cannot hear them. A small sneer briefly forms on his face, in disgust of the man's quickly changing demeanor and stance on the situation. He is, to put it lightly, completely unreliable. I ask for a distraction, he thinks to himself. And this is what I get.

Tineniel checks the wagon, and the status of those with mounts. He will continue to engage Irinys until they are ready. "The wagon is our only source of sustenance and survival. Would you leave us stranded here, in the desert, with no means of survival? Your army is strong, we see that now. Why not travel with us to the water's edge, where we know we will be safe. Then you can have the wagon." It is not really a lie, so to speak. At the water's edge, they will cease having a use for the wagon. But he is feigning knowledge of the shard, and fully intends that they not give that up.

((Let me know when the riders are ready, KMan.))

[Japic]

Girud grumbles and hopes that the others can come up with something witty. He came there to kick ass and chew bubbnle gum, and he was lal out of bubblegum.

Alton likewise holds his tongue, he has an arrow nocked in the event that he gets the chance to shoot.

[K Man]

{Is this it? Girud is alone in a battle of witty banter with the BBEG? I can retort for Yuri while GeneralMHB is gone, but again you guys seemed to be plgued by absentee players.}

[Fangor the Fierce]

It's not just alone in battle, its just that there is nothing that I can think of to do...

Adelia tries to see if there is anyway around this field of non-magic. (Knowledge check I guess, Arcana +6, Religion +10)

Krysta only calls out, at the Master. "You speak of overwhelming odds, sending more than ten to one against the land? You send multitudes of hoards of horrors to slay and wipe out all that are living, and you are speaking of outnumbering the foe? What a load of shit. Come, face us in battle, or cower behind your little wall, afraid to face us, afraid that we are indeed your downfall. Your end."

She then holds her weapons in wait, hoping that this Master will indeed grant them the chance to fight, instead of cowering behind this wall.

( I GOT NOTHING)

[Fangor the Fierce]

Adelia calls out, still erplexed as well.

"And what is your pursuit of all the shards? What are their purpose and why are you seeking them?"

[Jevva]

Hmm... How thick and hard is the floor? Maybe if we started bashing the ground, we'll be able to break through the floor and...fall down into the same pit Mordrock is in. It'll be a long fall, but there must be some reason Kman had Mordrock fall down. I think it's to show us that we won't die if we fall, so...

"Girud, Garor, draw your maces. Perhaps we can break the floor beneath us and escape into the floor below. Sitting here, waiting for a chance to fight the Master that we'll never get does not seem to me to be a worthwhile use of our time."

[K Man]

{Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I have all I need to move on but we're headed out to a holiday lunch for the department. Look for a post later this afternoon or Monday next week. }

[BluSpecs]

Garor silently seeths in rage.....sitting there useless