Lisette shudders vissibly, shocked out of a daze that held her immobile throughout the conversation.

Was it my that my grasp on fire magic slipped while trying to light the the way? Could the Kharvan Yar's ward have done something to me? No one else seem to have been this much affected. Where is Midge? Who is Midge!

While trying to hide her sudden panic and uncertainty from the others around her, she focuses on the one person she does clearly remember.
Lurel.

"...The Held village..."gritting her teeth"...We may need some help..."

To signal her readyness for bladework she takes out what looks to be an ordinary dagger, concentrates, and holds in her hand a slender Katana, breathes deeply as she begins whirling the blade through a kata, hoping to still her mind.

Who is this arrogant Siffli? Where did Ari come from? Breath in... and out...No one can see can they? Breath in... and out...

OOC> Mercbird is helping out when she can as Lisette for the moment.

Philemon turns to Lurel. "When you have finished whatever you are doing in Branden Forest, let us talk Time. For now where is it you want to go?"

Ford looks round at Lisette. He raises an eyebrow. "Are you all right?" He ponders at the mention of picturing a location. He turns to Midge. "Hey, you're better than any of us at photographic memory. Can you picture the location with the kids near the Held village?"

The agitation in Lisette's mind eases as she hear Ford's voice. Ford The Tall, how could I get so lost...

Stopping the rythmic swing of her blade but not sheathing it, and gives him a small smile.
"Will be, soon as I get my balance... but just you throw a fight my way, I'm ready."

She gives a quick bow to the group" Apologies for baring blades in company, but there did seem to be some urgency? Do we need Midge's memory?We've all been there...lets go already" Patience is for dressing wounds...


Aside to Ford: " Is it that da.. obvious?, I thought I was covering rather well"

"Philemon," Lurel asks, "can you send us to different locations? The children will need out protection, but Thail also suggested that we may need to ask the Held for help. Ari - you know your people better than we do - what are your thoughts? Who should go and ask the Held for help when everything tells me that the children are in danger, and we should be there to protect them?"

Ari tells you that he is sure the Held would all help fight if the children were under threat.

"After all they are only a short distance away. Our leader trusts you now. If the children need defending against large numbers of attackers then the larger the defence the better."

Philemon says: "I can send different people to different places but perhap that is running a greater risk than you should. The Lindan Yar was assembling in small parties. The Slayers are going to a place a little to the south of where the leadetrs of this campaign have set their camp. Unfortunately I have no idea where that is in relation to the places you speak of or I might suggest we all went together. What I could also do is send you first to the village and then to the children or vice versa. I would recommend keeping together."

"Very well," Lurel decides. "To the village first, to alert them to the danger. Then on to the children, as quickly as we can."

Lurel pictures the Held's village, in particular the defences he helped build, in his mind.

Your arrival at the Held village is just inside the defences Lurel had helped build. There is no one there now. As you look towards the village proper you see with horror that there are people lying on the ground motionless. From the distance it is hard to make out who but as you dash forward you see two members of the Held and about four others all are dead. The makeshift huts have been ransacked but there are no bodies within.

With no time to worry about the whys and wherefores you are taken to the area just outside of the children's refuge. You arrive among trees that conceal you. Ahead in the clearing you can see the refuge is being defended by the Held all bristling with bows and arrows. To your right and left are two large groups of fighters sheltering under the trees. They are equipped with melee weapons. A half dozen bodies so full of arrows they could be porcupines lie between the refuge and the groups of fighters. Things seem to be at an impasse. However the fighters are clearly not too worried. They have access to food supplies. Also they seem to be waiting for something or somebody.

You get the feeling that if whatever it is they are waiting for should happen the Held and the children will all be lost.

Ford grins at Lisette. "You just looked a little agitated. And you hadn't been talking for a while, so..."

Once they're teleported into the Held village, he looks around in horror. "Are we too late?" Upon arriving at the refuge he almost breathes a loud sigh of relief that the children are okay, but stifles it as he sees the warriors in the trees nearby. He looks to the others, and then to Lurel with questioning eyes, wondering what to do.

(OOC: Welcome to the game by the way, Mercbird. )

Lurel quickly looks around, trying to assess the situation.

'The Held can't hold out indefinitely. What are the fighters waiting for? For the Held to use up all their arrows? If we try to join the Held, we'll most likely come under attack from both sides in the confusion... yet we have to find out what is going on. If we could incapacitate those fighters somehow, to gain time.... but how? I don't like the thought of killing them all - even if we had the means...'

He looks at the terrain, and takes a deep breath.

'Perhaps if I could open up the ground beneath them, and drop them into a deep hole.. it would take them time to get out again - valuable time for us and the Held. But will the earth elementals permit it?'

Lurel briefly closes his eyes, and attempts to use his earth magic to carry out his plan.

The sight of they're few allies lying dead, sweeps Lisette's mind clear.
There remains only one thing.



Blood.


"They do not look like the talking types, Lurel, and they are most certainly waiting this out. They do not expect us to be here.
Lets soften up the left with a long distance attack, arrrows, fireballs, stones anything we have, and then swoop in while they're still confused.
Lurel, if needed can you keep the right off our backs long enough so we can mop up, 'cause as certain as the sun sits in the sky, they will not decline the invitation to die..."

Lisette looks into the faces around her, hoping to see the rising tide of her fury matched in those of her friends.

"Hopefully whoever has been doing such a great job turning those bastards into porcupines, will see the opportunity and take advantage... and not pepper us as well"

Lisette knows she will not be able to keep hold her of her fiery temper for too long, her hold on the demon within her is already slipping... and it needs only one answer.



Blood.





(OOC: Thank you Switch, delighted...uhm when Lisette looks at her friends who does she see, M?)

Before Lurel succeeds in opening the ground Midge tugs on his sleeve and points into the trees above the fighters. There are a few members of the Held in the branches. Indeed as he looks more carefully he sees there is at least one in the trees above where he is standing.

The air seems to shimmer and one of the assassins from the slayers is suddenly beside you.

The 'man'm if man it is, hisses: "Our contracts are in the middle of the fighters. It will take us some time to work our way in. But I overheard them talking of hostages so I believe they may have captured some of those who live here."

The assassin disappears as unexpectedly as he had appeared.

In spite of Lisette's eagerness to get into the fray it is clear you could not win in a straight fight.

You all take stock of the party's skills - Midge is very small and cannot get lost, Siffli can fly and use telekinesis, Lisette can turn her dagger into any weapon, no one can lie to Ford, Ari is an expert archer, Lurel still has the potions from Anima that will enable him to use his full magical strength (and will therefore enable him to do some teleportation). The only other person close enough to contact without using magic is the member of the Held in the tree above you.

It will help to get as much information as possible before concocting a plan.

"Lisette," Lurel whispers, "we can't win a fight against so many, and if they have hostages it complicates the situation. We don't want to endanger them needlessly. Before we rush in, daggers drawn, we need to get some information. Meanwhile, perhaps we could try to think of a diversion, to allow the slayers to get in, and perhaps even to allow the hostages to get out. We need ideas. Maybe Ford's piece of straw.. or maybe we can contact the Avelyssians to see if a flock of birds would distract the fighters... Siffli, perhaps you could use your telekinesis skills to drop something on the fighters... I could try to open the ground... think! But first we need information."


He looks up at the Held member above them and calls softly. "Hey! Can you fill us in on the situation? How many hostages are there, and where precisely are they? What's everyone waiting for?"

Sinking to her knees, her katana shaped dagger resting on her lap, Lisette wispers "Lurel, my blade is yours to place, tell me where and how deep."

Reeling in sudden desolation she achieves the calm she has struggled for since first encoutering the slayers and their ward. And contols her bloodlust.

"I could probably drop some fire... *on someones head*...to create a distraction where needed, with some help from Siffli it could be an effective projectile..."

Lisette looks up from her hands, hoping Lurel sees the apology she can not utter, hoping to see the Held down from his tree...

The member of the Held drops down beside you. "They have the woman who looks after the children and the girl who is usually with her - Vreli I think fher name is. And I believe they may have a member of the Held too. They were taken 'to the leader' whoever that may be. As for what they are waiting for I don't know but it maybe because they are expecting another arrival. This person has magic to judge from what they are saying."

Siffli frowns in determination and looks around for something fatal that she could drop on their opponents. She turns to Lisette:

"I can help you if you so wish it, just tell me what you need."

Ford ponders. "If there are hostages to free, maybe I can help. I think we'd be best going after them before we take any violent action. But how? We'd need some way to reach them unnoticed..."

Lisette looks up at the Held beside Lurel, and asks "Where exactly is this leader that needs to take a woman and child hostage? If you tell Ford precicely where and how they where taken..." *so he can asses the truth of it* trying pointedly to not think of red hot daggers...

"We may need a birds eye view of that area, Siffli, and maby a flock of birds to cover your arial acrobatics? Lurel, would not action agains the leader serve as as a suitable disctraction to create an opening for the slayers. Should an additional magic user show up, Ford can blow his straw at him or her and perhaps drown out any counter magic?"
Smiling suddenly up at Ford and Siffli " How would you approach the hostage taker?"

Ford looks at Lisette and scratches his head. "Good question. I've never dealt with hostage takers before... I'd trust Lurel to do it more than myself, but you'll probably need his magic to fight these guys. I definitely wouldn't try to take any violent action against this leader, since he has those hostages. Even just using the straw could result in their deaths."

Lurel considers, a grim look on his face. "I still have Anima's potions, to boost my magic reserves. If I knew precisely where the hostages are being kept, I could teleport there - and hopefully teleport out with them, too. That's I'm sure, would greatly help the Slayers. If some of you could create a distraction to draw attention away from the hostages, it might make it easier for me."


He looks at Siffli. "I don't know whether it is possible - but would you be able to ask a bird to spy out the enemy's position for us? I would need a precise location, and know how many of them are guarding the hostages. And if we could find out who this leader is... it might help."


'I suspect Anromainyus' involvement in this... I can only hope I am wrong.'

The member of the Held says: "I can tell you a little. There are two groups of men. Those to our right number about 50 and appear to be mercenaries. Those to our left are three times that number mostly mercenaries but there is a central group of maybe 20 who appear to be too well organised simply to be a rabble for hire."

The boy in green is male but sounds older than the fifteen he looks.

"We have a fighting force of some 250 so we outnumber them but only a few of us are experienced with anything other than bows and arrows and as you can see they are sheltering in areas of the forest where arrows are difficult to use. At the moment they cannot attack the refuge - you can see what happened to those who tried - but if they can use some magical means to destroy our arrows, outnumbered or not, they will surely win."

The 'boy' looks around and up into the trees.

"There are ten of us in the trees seeing what we can find out. The smaller group of mercenaries is completely protected by the forest. The larger group surrounds a small clearing where the 20 who are organised have set up eight tents. We are pretty certain the hostages are in one of these tents but we do not know which."

Again the 'boy' looks around.

"The man who spoke to you just now is using a cloak that blends into its surroundings. He is currently debating with his colleague although I don't know what about. I can reach him if it will help."

OOC> Teleportation into any place unknown is hugely dangerous as you can teleport into an object and die. (You cannot however teleport into a person, you simply land on them.) As long as someone in the party knows the layout they can 'picture' it and Lurel can use that to teleport. There is a slight risk but that is a choice that must be considered. Philemon has obviously studied the area in depth but he is out of contact and in any case would not know the internal layout of Lindan Yar tents. A couple of points - activity in the tree tops and above them is unlikely to be noticed except above any cleared area, and perhaps not even there if some form of concealment is available. The Held is not a fighting force as such and will willingly accept a sensible strategy either en masse or individually. Lurel has visited the old Held village (where Thail is) and the refuge where the sick children are (now being defended by most of the Held) in the past. Siffli's power of telekinesis would enable her to lift (and 'carry') a small skinny child. To succeed each member of the party will need to use their particular skills at one point or another. I will exclude Ari as Arturius has disappeared. Lurel and Lisette can use elemental magic if they wish.

Lisette ponders whilst staring, with renewed respect, at the brave youngling Held. Her rage now well in hand, she thinks clearly for the fist time since encountering the ward, more than a bit embarrased about her earlier recklessness and volatility.

" I am beginning to suspect that our priority must be the children in the refuge, and secondly the hostages. The good of the many before the few. We could use the trees up to the treeline, and then request a flock of birds to cover our action whilst securing the children away from the smaller group of mercenaries."

She looks at Lurel thoughtfully.
" Or is it posibble for you to teleport into the refuge, seeing as you've been there, and then use the potions to to move them to safety. The mercenaries might not even know they're gone that way."

She grins suddenly at the Held in green again, being the inspiration for using the trees "We could use the treetop-and-bird tactic to then discover in wich of the eight tents the hostages are, and mayhap release them. Once this is achieved a good distraction may be to release my fiery temprament with Siffli's attentions and the support of those in the trees, and of course Ford's *who is never lazy with a sword* on the small group, giving the Philemon's slayers the gap to take out the 'elite' twenty...and then let the chaos monster take its course... even if we are to die ... the children may stand a chance..."

Looking again at the faces of her friends, hoping that her faculties has not, yet again, let them down

"I don't think I could teleport everyone out with the help of just a few potions," Lurel sighs. "However, I suspect that Philemon might be able to. But I'm not convinced that the hostages were chosen at random. There was something about that little girl...perhaps she's the key."

He takes a deep breath.

"We need to get those hostages out, and help the Slayers carry out their contract. So we need to get to those tents. I can't teleport there - I don't know the area. What I could perhaps do - though it would be risky - is to use earth magic to tunnel right into that clearing. But it would be difficult to get my bearings underground, so that the tunnel emerges exactly where I want it to. Secondly, we'd need a fairly major distraction to draw people away from the clearing, to allow me to get out. I wonder..."

He asks the Held member. "It goes against the grain, but if it was our best chance of rescuing the hostages.. how would you feel about using fire as a distraction?"


After another pause, he adds. "Perhaps dropping the other group of fighters into a deep enough hole might be a wise precaution... provided I can do it, with all those trees around them!"

OOC> Lots of good ideas but I will need a definitive strategy at some point. Lurel can certainly tunnel into the tent but has to be very certain where to go. There is a member of your party who is very good at remembering shapes and distances who can help in that.

HE needs to see the clearing and identify the hut with the hostages.

Once you are ready to free the hostages you need to think who needs to be with you. A tunnel can only be traversed in single file. A question you may wish to consider is what the hostages were taken for since there has been no reference to any demand being made for their release.

The Slayers would do their job whether you were there or not so rather than worry about helping them see if there is anything you want them to do for you (if they will).

Lurel can teleport inside the refuge or teleport others there but the place is heavily defended atm and so is correctly not the priority.

Two other things to bear in mind. If the new arrival has serious magic potential you will certainly lose so there is an element of urgency to complete what needs to be done. Also you will never be able to take on the combined Lindan Yar and mercenaries in a fight. You will need to get them to disperse for other reasons.

RPG> The member of the Held looks at you. "If you start a fire there is a risk the whole forest may ignite. Perhaps if you can target it specifically it could help?"

OCC>Aargh posted too late, edit edit
" So priority number one is the hostages, secondly the refuge which seems to be at an impasse anyway, drop the trees on top of them in the hole to keep them there. They want to slaughter children, lets see if they remember their childhood and can climb a tree, if they do they'll end up looking like porcupines..."

Lisette smiles warmly at Lurel, " We could scout out the tents from the tree's , if the Heldling wants to help, to give you the lay out, or maby out friend in the cloak of surroundings, and we can cover your emergence and escape with a flock of birds... *If thats even a real idea, Lisette mutters under her breath* Or Siffli can provide your navigation from a birds eye view, or levitating Midge would be better"
Suddenly Lisette gets up from the ground, warming up to the idea "Combine all four approaches, if you need backup, Lurel, take Ford" turning to the Held" could you ask the slayer to find out in which tent the hostages are? Causing a distraction using fire does not go against my grain, quite the opposite... and I can certainly target it using several different points *wouldnt want to become a porcupine myself for burning down the forest*, if I use the trees to get around we could lure and spread out the mercenaries quite effectively, and take them out one bit at a time. I'll get around quicker alone with the Held"

As she turns the katana back into a dagger and sheathes it, Lisette almost seems to glow in anticipation and there is a definite reddish tint to her eyes...

Ford ponders. "Sounds good to me. Although..." He turns to the Held. "Have they issued any sort of demands for the hostages at all? I'm wondering why they took them... maybe just to stall for time?"

"Very well," Lurel says. "I think first of all we need some aerial reconnaisance. Midge has a phenomenal memory - once he sees something he remembers it. Isn't that right Midge?" He grins at the boy.

"We're told that the enemy has no ranged weapons - so flying over their camp would be safe enough. Whatever they are waiting for must be imminent, or they would not be content to sit around and wait. The quickest way, as I see it, would be for Siffli to fly over their camp, carrying Midge with her. Siffli, do you think you can do that? And Midge, you're not afraid of flying, are you?"

He takes a deep breath. "Once Siffli and Midge have returned from their spy mission Midge can guide me underground, and I can tunnel through to the clearing - if there is a possibility we'll succeed. Let us know if tunnelling through would be leading us into a death trap.. Midge and Siffli, I'll count on you to locate a good spot for the tunnel to emerge. Then I would have to get to the hostages - which is where we need a diversion. Siffli, you could perhaps watch from above, and alert the others when the time is right. Lisette, are you happy to be in charge of the diversion? If you can use your fire magic to stir them up enough to present themselves as targets for the Held, it would perhaps give me time to get to the tents."

He takes a deep breath. "It's going to be risky, but we need to act before their new arrival gets here."

He pauses briefly, and calls to the member of the Held: "Do you have any prisoners we could speak to?"

He looks at Ford. "They might not talk at all.... but if they do, at least they wouldn't lie to you. Maybe we could even find out why they've picked those hostages in particular."

" I'll be happy to be your diversion, Lurel, whats the signal for the diversion... a wolf howl..." she gives Lurel a long toothed grin " I'll make little fires near each Helmeded tree so they can light they're arrows and shoot them of to where they judge it would do the least harm to the forest"

Midge is happy with the idea but points out that although the enemy have no ranged weapons thay are known to have a limited amount of magic and it would be safer if he and Siffli were hidden were that possible.

The Held member says "We have no prisoners as such but one of the enemy lying in our village is not dead though he seems so. He will die soon. How could that help?"

OOC: Just so you guys know, I am following the story and waiting for a good time to post without just adding a one liner.

Siffli was never one for making difficult choices, always preferring to leave others to that task.

Lisette plays with a small ball of fire between her hands, trying to think of the ways Siffli could use telekiness on it, perhaps throwing fireballs at a flying Siffli who could then redirect to where needed. *...would make it easier than trying to imitate the boy in green in his tree act...*

OOC> Panic not Malchik, I do exist, whether or not I have a mind capable of a half-intelligent reply is another question...

Midge comes up with one final solution in refernce to the amount of guards present.

"If we only have skilled bowmen, perhaps one of us could run into the clearing, run back and pull them into an ambush of arrows from either side in the treetops. Hopefully it will scatter their numbers, although maybe we should do it after we have the hostages to avoid any panicky or rash decisions made by the mercenaries. Or perhaps as the major distraction as tunnel clearing would no doubt be rather loud and I do not believe that we want them to find Siffli and I first."

"I don't want you to take foolish risks," Lurel replies. "We all need to get out alive again, with the hostages. But you have a point about them using magic. I could perhaps try to keep you invisible - maybe. I'm not sure I could do it. But perhaps Philemon would lend Siffli one of the Slayer cloaks?"


He looks up to the Held member. "How long would it take you to ask the Slayers for one of their cloaks?"

The Held member points "a matter of seconds, hold on!"

The member of the Held disappears and before you can say knife is back with the cloak.

"You need to be quick with it but they are happy for you to release any hostages before they go in."

OOC>

Is this the plan? 1. Siffli and Midge will identify the hut with the hostages by flying over the clearing using the cloak of concealment. 2. Lurel, Midge and will then tunnel to the hut to release the hostages while create a diversion to cover any noise. 3. When and if the hostages are freed ?

Because 2 may trigger a magical assault against the refuge it is important that you have a plan for 3 before starting 2. I would need to know who else will go with Lurel to rescue the hostages and precisely what the diversion will be. What it is will depend on who is available to do it.

The plan so far cannot succeed without specific skills of Siffli, Midge and Lurel and almost certainly Lisette. Ford's special quality is that no one can lie to him. You should make use of this before starting 2.

Siffli and Midge can do their initial survey while the rest do something else if you wish. Lurel should give the word when to start.

"Okay okay... let's get this straight..." Ford clears his throat.

"Firstly, Midge and Siffli fly over where the hostages are, and Midge memorises the layout of the area, all the while using the concealment cloak as cover. Secondly, Lisette creates a distraction, perhaps with fire with the help of the Held, that will draw the elites out of the camp, and thus allow Lurel, Midge, and perhaps me, to either tunnel in or teleport in and get the hostages out. And then, once the hostages are free...?"

He scratches his head. "Am I right so far?"

"Ford," Lurel addresses his friend, "I think it would be a good idea if you could speak to the Held's prisoners and infd out as much as you can about their plans, the expected new arrival, and whatever else might help us. They can't lie to you, after all."


He turns to Midge and Siffli. "The cloak should offer you enough concealment, I hope. If you are quick, then perhaps they will not even have time to use magic against you. Good luck!


Looking at Lisette and the Held member, he grimaces. "That leaves us with the task of deciding on a suitable diversion. Lisette can use fire, the Held can use their arrows, and I - I could try using my earth magic against the second group of mercenaries. If I drop them into a deep enough hole, it would take them out of the equation for at least a short while. It would be an idea to warn the members of the Held around the area though... hopefully I'll manage without damaging the trees, but they might still shake a bit."


He looks around, trying to gauge the others' reactions.

Ford nods. "Right..." He turns to the Held boy. "Could you tell the others that I'm coming? And where are the prisoners being kept?" He turns back to Lurel. "But... how will I get to them without being seen by the Lindan Yar?"

He ponders on Lurel's idea. "Well, I'm not sure really - all the diversions have their merit. So maybe just do all at once to be safe?" He grins.

Lisette smiles more warmly at Ford, "Follow the Held in the trees to they're hostages" she turns to the young boy in green for confirmation.
" Its true that a magical attack will attract a magical response, but if I can do it in such a way to disperse the mercenaries you all have a chance, wich is all I can promise.
The Held in the trees should be able to keep any surrounding the children in the shelter pinned down untill we can get them out too.
Dropping them in a hole is not a bad plan Lurel, only after you have the hostages,... I'll use that as the signal to start distracting so you can get out, if you can manage that from the tunnel or the hostage tent"
Looking at Midge suddenly, having almost forgoten his presence she asks " It'll be fun being a flying invisible spy, are you alright with heights?"

Midge manages a half-smile, "I'm pretty sure I'll be fine, the whole buisness with the Avelyssians kinda alleviated my fear of heights. Just as long as I don't have to look down for too long."

The Held member whisks Ford through the forest to an area of their village in which a fighter - not a mercenary to judge from his clothes and so presumably a member of the Lindan Yar - is lying propped up against the side of a house.

"He knows he is dying but will tell us nothing. Perhaps he knows nothing? What do you think he can help you with?"

Siffli now has the cloak of concealment. Midge is ready, waiting for her to be off.

The others wait impatiently for the information Midge and Ford can glean.

OOC: Sorry for the neglect, I am an incredibly busy man. I will do my best to keep closer tabs on the game though.

Sifflie swallows hard, takes on her most determinded expression and lifts off. She glides above the hut to see what she can.

Ford looks at the man. "Hmm... I have a few ideas. Wait here."

He heads over to the man and kneels down in front of him. "Hey there. Listen, I need some information. I know you're not keen on talking, but it could save a lot of people from dying, including your own people. Can you tell me what you're doing here? And why take those two particular people as hostages?" He stares him in the eyes, waiting for a response. 'I hope this works...'

With Siffli floating Midge, both within the voluminous cloak of concealment they are able to reconnoitre. Although the tents all look alike they are arranged in two rows facing each other with two slightly larger tents in the middle. The two larger tents both have guards outside them. Presumably one contains the leaders and the other the hostages. It is not possible to tell which is which from the air. Midge notes the position in resoect of where Lurel is waiting. They return to Lurel and pass on what they saw. But how will he know which tent to enter is there someone there who might know?

The man tries not to respond to Ford but he is unable to stop himself.

It is not easy to follow his rambling mumbled answers but you learn that the Lindan Yar are aware of the stocks of the drug that keep the sick children alive. They have no concern that without it the children will die in agony. But if they attacked the refuge they believe Varna would destroy the stock herself rather than let them get hold of it. The girl was needed for another reason. The leader of the Held has been taken to stop them doing the same thing. The reason they have not yet attacked is not because their awaited arrival can destroy the Held's weapons but because they do not know where the drug is hidden. This man will be able to 'persuade' Varna to tell them. They will do so not by using magic but by dismembering the child in front of her. Not even the Lindan Yar leaders have quite the stomach for it but apparently their expected visitor has.

"And he will teleport in. He has magic. He may be here already."

The man lapses into a coma.

The member of the Held whisks Ford back to the others.

Ford turns distinctly white at the prospect of what the man is saying. Once the man is unconscious, he hurries back to the others with the Held, panting as he arrives.

"Lurel! I found out a few things... we need to act quickly. Very quickly." He informs Lurel about everything he's learnt, especially the fact that their visitor has the ability to teleport. "I don't know who that man is but from the sounds of him we'll need to get the hostages out before he arrives."

Lurel, too, blanches as he hears Ford's news.

"There's no time to lose," he states the obvious, while his mind is racing to work out the best plan from the options they have. "Midge, can you guide me underground, towards those tents? Siffli - can you communicate with birds? Perhaps one of them might have seen which tent the hostages were taken into. If we knew that before we set out, it would improve our chances of success."

He looks at Ford. "Do you still have that piece of straw? It might come in handy to disrupt their orders and train of thoughts when we suddenly appear in their midst! That is... " - he pauses briefly - " if you'd be willing to come with me and Midge?"

He looks up at the Held member. "Could you get a message to Philemon, and tell him that we're about to tunnel into the centre of their camp? Perhaps it would be a quicker way for the Slayers to take, too? And - in case things go horribly wrong - can Philemon teleport those who need it to safety?"

Then his gaze turns towards Lisette, Ari and Siffli, and strays up into the trees to see if other Held members are listening.

"I'm not sure how long it is going to take me to tunnel there. If the earth elementals have no objection, it should not take long. You will have to guess when we reach the perimeter of their camp. That's when we will need the diversion, I think. Try to draw them from the centre into defending the perimeter of their camp. Use fire against them, drop boulders on to them, shower them with arrows. We must make them believe that they are under attack."

He takes a deep breath. "Once we have the hostages, it may well trigger a full-scale assault upon the refuge. With the potions, I can perhaps help defend it. So it might be best if we teleport from the hostages' tent to the refuge - provided the refuge can be given a warning that we might suddenly appear."

Suddenly he looks grim. "I am so very tempted to let the ground swallow up the entire Lindan Yar once the hostages are safe."

He takes a deep breath, makes sure Anima's potions are where he can easily and quickly reach them, and begins to let his awareness sink into the ground to get a feel for the terrain he will be dealing with.

'We really should have a fighter with us when we enter the enemy camp, but Lisette's magic is needed for the diversion... I hope I've made the right decisions... I wonder who their expected 'visitor' is... Anromainyus? A corrupted master wizard? That Lindan Yar leader we dealt with previously - he was able to teleport...'

Ford nods. "Yeah... I'll come." He reaches into his backpack and pulls out the straw, smiling slightly. "At least if that freak wizard shows up I might be able to disrupt his spellcasting long enough for us to get away."

He observes the rest of the plan unfolding and waits to set off.

(OOC> Mercbird has asked me to post for Lisette this week as she is away)

The Held member says, "I do not know where Philemon may be. But in one moment I will tell the slayer assassins, they will need their cloak back." In a matter of seconds he returns.

"They say they prefer to do things their own way but they will be in the more southerly of the two central huts, where the leaders are and don't want you getting in the way. Is that where you are going?"

Midge and Ford are to follow Lurel as soon as he gives the word.

Lisette, readying her magic will follow the member of the Held to the clearing. She says: "Perhaps, Lurel, if you free Varna, you can magic away whatever it is they are after. If it is no longer in the refuge, would they bother to attack? But I am not sure how you will be able to convince them you have it, or what they would do to us if they believed you."

"Then the more northerly of the two central tents is the one we're aiming for. Can you get us there, Midge?"

He thinks for a moment. "Guide us right underneath the hut, if you can. Before we break through the floor I'll try to... erm... sense, I suppose... if there is anyone just above us. If we are very very lucky there will be no guards inside the tent, just outside. If not..." Lurel grimaces, "I suppose we'll have to fight, and to make sure they can't get to the hostages in the confusion. We must be quiet, especially once we are under their camp."

He nods to Lisette, Siffli, Ari and the Held member. "I'll leave the diversion to you. I had thought about using the cheweed supply as a lever against the Lindan Yar... but they would most likely destroy what they can and kill who they can to put pressure on us. If only we could get rid of it without harming those poor kids..."

He sighs, nods to Midge and Ford. "Ready? Let's go."


With that, he uses his earth magic in an attempt to create a tunnel that will lead them - he hopes - to the hostages.

OOC> Sorry busy on Iredior interiors.

Lurel successfully tunnels to where Midge tells him the hut must be. Before bursting in he needs to know the diversion is working.

Meanwhile Ari has gone into the trees with a few members of the held waiting for Lisette and Siffli to get into place and to receive a signal from Lurel that they should create a diversion. Siffli is floating close to the clearing just out of sight and Lisette in the trees below. At this point each shoud have a precise plan.

Lurel takes a deep breath.
'So far, so good.'

He attempts to contact Thail. 'Could you please get a message to Lisette that I need that diversion now? We're under the hut with the hostages.'

While waiting for a reply, he tries to let his senses sink into the earth between his party, and the floor of the hut above. Perhaps there is something he can perceive...

He reaches for the bottles containing Anima's potion, as much to reassure himself as to ensure that they are within easy reach.