Alberik stood and watched as the room was properly cleared once the mages had knocked the orcs out, keeping an eye on the door in case more decided to walk in. None did, and she nodded to the elf, her gaze growing distant as she reached out with her mind back to the academy and the waiting mages. {First room is cleared.} She sent simply, breaking the connection as soon as she got confirmation. She spent a bit more power moving a bed out of the way of the intended destination for the portal, stacking it on top of another nearby with little regard for the bodies on either.
The portal appeared as planned and the first wave began to filter through and sort themselves out. Alberik stood to the side and let them work, standing near a wall and stretching her mind out again, carefully searching God's Reach for any mental sign of Sera. She was careful not to examine any of the other minds she found, 'stepping' too close and tipping an orc off who had knowledge of the power she was using could tip off the entire fortress and ruin the element of surprise, their only real advantage at this point.
(Telepathy 2EP to open the portal, telekinesis 1-2EP to move the bed, and telepathy ?EP to hunt for Sera.)
Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 105/123, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, 2x Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Arikur and Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance)
Rolls
Alberik spends 6 EP on stuff!
'Gotcha, establishing the portal once you've given me a look of the room,' the mage on the other end of her mental connection said, and once Alberik had panned her gaze around she received the confirmation that all was ready. The gateway opened smoothly and silently in the spot where the beds of the now dead orcs had once been, and the first of the scout force began filing through, a squad of a dozen or so including two mages to cast illusions readying itself for Alberik's signal to proceed ahead. They'd wait for the room to clear a bit to send the next squad, but Alberik had to give the go ahead for them first, or put one of the other's in charge. Greyback or Arikur would be best for that, neither of whom were suited for stealth. The former possessed an extensive knowledge of magical workings and would be able to keep the portal going in case things went hairy, and close it if need be, while the latter was an experienced fighter and would know best when to send out a group so that their exodus was staggered enough that the orcs wouldn't become alerted to their presence too soon.
As Alberik stretched out her mind, she felt on the fringes of her perceptions all those in Gods-Reach. Their estimates on the numbers of orcs hadn't been wrong, but there were far more support personel than she'd expected, particularly slaves. The orcs must have brought them with them or been raiding towns nearby, because there were far more slaves than had been expected, almost as many as the orcs. Finding Sera wasn't easy, particularly given her need for caution lest an adept orc detect her probing, but the elven fighter was located all the same a moment later. She was in the keep at the rear of the fortress, in a room on the third floor. Her overall condition seemed well, but even brushing against her mind revealed to Alberik the waves of burning rage, humiliation, and crushing despair that the elven woman was experiencing even then.
Current Party:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons
Professor Greyback
5 wind mages
Current Assault Force Numbers:
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Alberik made a mental note of Sera's location and ended the power. She wanted to send out feelings of comfort, tell her rescue was on the way, anything, but she would be safe soon enough, and the Outsider didn't want to risk the unexpected hope tipping off the entire mission somehow. Sera's location was past the location for another portal, the cafeteria from earlier.
She considered the problem of who to leave behind. The portal was unlikely to be tampered with if the room could be defended, making Arikur the obvious choice. She gave the go ahead to the first group, knowing from her scan that the area right outside the door was clean of people, for the time being. After that, she spoke up. "Arikur, you're least suited to press just yet, stay and make sure this staging area stays secure. We're going to head out with the groups heading to take the cafeteria, once the alarm is raised, I'll be in contact." She told the man. Once the groups headed to the cafeteria appeared and began moving out, she took her group with them.
She paused just before leaving, looking to the professor with her to see if she could cast an illusion to cover them. If not, the outsider began weaving a spell herself, to make them look like a group of slaves, making their clothing ragged and torn while hiding any weapons as baggy portions of clothing, and adding a collar around each person's neck. She wasn't skilled enough to have the illusion change their voices to sound orcish, so passing off as slaves to a group they were following was a safer idea.
Minor illusion, level 3. Base casting 29, which is plenty, and 4EP spent. I think.
Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 105/123, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, 2x Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Arikur and Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance)
(You'll have to drop a buff in order to cast your illusion, but Greyback can do it for you this time. She'll go with that group, and Alberik will go with the next one.)
Arikur seemed content with the decision that he should be left to guard the door, the experienced man no doubt understanding Alberik's reasoning perfectly well. Giving her a nod, he headed toward the door and said; "Understood ma'am, I'll wait for your signal before sending a message back through the gate to start moving in the main forces. It'd be best if we can keep the orcs from knowing our exact position." The first patrol went off with Greyback in the center, the experienced mage leading that patrol and garbing them in an illusion that made them look like slaves.
A moment later the next group came through the portal, and among them was Anya. The blond scout gave Alberik the same salute as all of her comrades, and had long sword held over her back accompanied by a longbow. She seemed to be the commander of this particular group, as she came toward Alberik and said; "Ready when you are, ma'am."
After a few minutes had passed and when she was ready to move, necessitating that Alberik drop of her active spells in order to cast her illusion to make her and the small group of slaves with her appear like slaves, Alberik led the group containing Anya out of the chamber and out into Gods-Reach. It was autumn, which meant heavy snow for the mountains, and without the elven magic to keep the worst of the storms at bay, the ancient fortress was covered in a thick layer of crystalline snow that shone like a sea of stars in the light cast by the magical lights strung about the walls. Orcs were about, huddled in groups and garbed in thick furs to keep the icy cold at bay. It was snowing lightly here, but not lightly enough to obscure visibility, and the paths were still packed down almost to the point that they'd been reduced to ice.
"Which way are we headed, ma'am?" Anya whispered under her breath, the light howl of the icy wind moving through the corridors created by the walls of Gods-Reach masking her voice from any nearby. The tower lay to the North West, and from her extensive studies of the plans and maps they had of Gods-Reach, as well as her talks with Telvesh and those others who had been in the fortress before, Alberik knew of three routes by which she could get to it.
Firstly was the route along the wall, which would necessitate that she climb a guard tower that would be no doubt filled with orcs and probably also have some sort of security checkpoint, but which would allow her to get all the way to the third floor, the same floor that Sera herself was located on, but after getting out of the guard tower and onto the wall they'd be totally exposed. The nearest two guard towers leading up to the walls were a ways down the road ahead and then sharply to the right, which was almost directly in line with the tower, or circling around the courtyard and heading to the left a ways, which would take longer and put them through the center of the fortress. The second way was through the streets of the fortress and in through the main entrance of the fortress, which would take them past many of the official meeting rooms that the elves had once used. Whether the orcs still used them was unknown, but getting into the tower through the main entrance would surely be a difficult and dangerous proposition. Finally, there was an entrance to the sewers nearby. Though hardly inconspicuous for a bunch of slaves to enter, the sewers led straight into the basement of the tower through a likely unguarded or at least poorly guarded doorway, and they would face the lowest chance of discovery if they went that way until they started making their way up the tower itself.
The cafeteria, meanwhile, wasn't far off at all. A short ways to the South, it would probably be crawling with orcs, and her small group might have trouble securing it on their own. Of course, they could wait for more patrols if such was the case, but that would be putting them at risk of discovery which would likely keep Alberik in the heaviest of the fighting, somewhere that she likely didn't want to be if she wanted to rescue Sera. Still, it would be an ideal staging area for their larger groups of troops when things started going downhill, and securing it sooner rather than later would make things easier in the short term since large groups of slaves coming out of a small apartment would probably seem suspicious after a while.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, out on patrol
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Alberik took her time casting her illusion over the group, paying attention to the details of the illusions covering the weapons specifically, as well as giving herself some indication that she was a more important slave than the others, so if they were accosted, they'd have a better chance of addressing herself, so she could have more control over the situation.
After informing Arikur that they were going to assist in clearing the cafeteria, the small group of humble slaves made their way outside into the biting weather. Alberik glanced over towards the tower where she knew Sera to be wistfully, then turned south, leading them to a corner out of the wind, where they could wait until enough groups had assembled before starting to file in, unsure of what they'd find within, but with several plans to take the area quietly, depending on what it contained...
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 68/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, 2x Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
After Alberik left the entry point in Sera's old apartment and headed over to the cafeteria, she found the place unsurprisingly filled with orcs. The beastmen had turned the place into a makeshift bar, with more ale barrels than Alberik had ever seen in one place before stacked against one wall and a line of two dozen tapped kegs on stands in front of it. 'Understood ma'am. I'll try to route as many as I can to meet you there as they come out of the gate, but going is slow right now. We've got an orc patrol standing right outside our door right now, and I don't want to risk sending anyone out so long as they're there. It looks like they're just... Talking,' Arikur replied calmly over the mental link she briefly established with him, the effort of which did nothing to diminish her illusion or her other effects.
Slaves were a common sight here, enough that they outnumbered the orcs almost two to one, but there were still almost a hundred of the beastmen laughing raucously and apparently having a grand old time. They were gathered in tighter groups than the elves had been when last Alberik had seen this place, and she spotted several groups of her own filtering in or already among them. Most tellingly were the soldiers that had gone in with Greyback, while the academy proctor herself was standing on top of a table for a group of orcs making increasingly lewd suggestions, clad in clothing that covered nothing and doing a dance that did nothing but show of her voluptuous form. She seemed to be enjoying it too, or at least faked it convincingly enough that Alberik couldn't tell the difference. Though, how she was dancing and maintaining her illusion over her comrades who had spread out across the cafeteria at the same time was an interesting question.
She spotted a number of other groups, all of them wearing the subtle signs they'd picked out. To keep anyone from getting suspicious, they'd picked out signs that were varied but simple, and Alberik spotted plenty of them about, such that they were equal to about a third of the number of orcs in the room. Of course, that meant that they had enough magic among them to blanket the room in death of they so desired, but that would kill all of the slaves and probably some of their own people to boot, at least if they weren't extremely careful. Of course, if violence started the slaves were likely to panic and cause more trouble than anything else.
"Oi! You there!" a voice suddenly called from just ahead of Alberik, the speaker a particularly fat orc dressed in heavy leather armor. He was pointing directly at Anya as he continued; "What're you doin 'ere? Come to replace the one in the stocks 'ave ya?" He gestured towards the corner where the line of kegs met the wall perpendicular to it on the right side of the room, where a woman was bent forward in a stock, her bottom sticking out and coated with a mixture of dried and fresh seed. Even from here, Alberik could still see the woman struggling weakly like one who wasn't yet completely broken, and her body was had plenty of bruises that not even the roughest sex could inflict. "You look fresh, why don't you give it a go aye? Ol' Bardock 'ere will be your first for the night if you wan' a go!" Anya glanced questioningly at Alberik, her gaze stoic as she waited for orders. The orc's lewd suggestion hadn't seemingly affected her any, and she waited for Alberik to issue some sort of order rather than reply immediately herself. Numerous other orcs seemed to enjoy the prospect of Anya in the stocks, a chorus of cheers coming from those nearest to Alberik's group, and getting the woman abused woman out of the stocks would likely be a kindness that she could use right about now.
Many orcs were gathered in that area, either for the booze or for their turn at the bound woman, and more seemed intent on heading that direction if Anya agreed to the fat orc's lewd proposition. They might be able to use that to their advantage, as fewer slaves seemed to be in that area as well. Of course, she could simply pass the orcs offer off as if she were here on important business, but that would put her on a tight timetable as well, as she'd have to do something or leave quickly before she began raise suspicion over the presence of her apparently important group of slaves. While slaves sent to perform tasks wasn't unheard of among orcs, it was fairly rare particularly among new conquests.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Allies in position to attack the cafeteria:
Greyback
6 Mages (illusionists)
10 Falling Leaves scouts
5 Blue Falcon scouts
20 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, out on patrol
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
{Understood. We can bide for time as needed, so long as the alarm isn't raised.} She sent back. The timing fo that patrol was unfortunate, but she doubted they had been discovered as yet, or if the orcs would take such a strategy if they were...
Alberik started slightly at the sudden interaction, turning to look at the portly orc. She was hoping their slave status would allow them to pass beneath notice, for the first part. She met Anya's gaze as her mind flew through their options. Nothing was tenable, either blowing their cover too early and risking the alarm going out, or putting them on a time limit she didn't know they could meet.
Giving Anya a worried look, she replied to the pudgy orc. "The Master wouldn't want her hurt too badly. Be gentle, please?" She asked meekly. "He has sent us here to talk to someone, but it looks like they aren't here yet, I'm not sure how long..." She started, trailing off at the end and letting it hang in the air, then waited for the orcs response.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 68/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
The orc's gaze turned to Alberik, who was disguised as a human slave at the time, as she spoke in response to the suggestion he'd made. The orcs did have tiers of slaves of course, some being more trusted than others to carry out their masters orders, and Alberik had apparently struck the proper tone. Judging by what he said next and the expression on his face, the orc had bought her act completely; "Hah! Don't you worry, Ol' Bardock knows how to treat another man's property with care! Is he saving her as a concubine for himself? Ahhh, nevermind, if he was I'm sure you'd have known already and told us as much!" He turned to Anya, who was barely able to keep the sour look from her face as she gazed back at Alberik, and continued, "You heard yer handler, step up to the stocks!"
Alberik could see Greyback glance her way from the table she was dancing on, but the mage couldn't spare any more of her attention as she went into a complicated spin, her top coming off and allowing her massive breasts to swing free to a loud uproar of approval from the orcs surrounding her. They were certainly very distracted... The girl who had been in the stocks was removed and casually tossed aside, forced to crawl over to the rags that had been her clothes and put them on over her stains before limping her way out of the cafeteria. Anya, still under the guise of a slave, marched up to the stocks slowly and carefully while several of the beastmen gave her lewd looks or pawed at her, though the one who had spoken rose to follow her and chased off any of his fellows who got too gropy.
In the meantime, three more groups that Alberik identified as patrols entered the makeshift tavern, two disguised as groups of orcs and a third group that looks like slaves. They immediately began to mingle among the orcs, their illusions holding as they waited for a signal to do something. "You're a good, meek little thing ain't ya? You probly no the drill by now eh? C'mon then, lesse what you got under them rags!" Bardock said once he and Anya reached the stocks, and the scout threw Alberik another quick dirty look as she began to disrobe, her clothes thankfully maintaining their illusionary appearance even after separated from their wearer. When the woman's small, perky breasts were exposed the orcs around her gave a cheer of encouragement, and one of the beast men jeered; "Those'll grow after she pumps out a fighter or two eh?"
His words were met with another cheer, and Anya blushed brightly and eyed the stocks. Hesitantly, the scout slid her panties down, earning another cheer and a loud clap on the rear from Bardock, who was beginning to unbuckle his belt. They were still outnumbered, but unless Alberik began the attack immediately Anya would probably be unable to stall any further, and would probably be raped.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Allies in position to attack the cafeteria:
Greyback, master wizard
9 Mages (illusionists)
15 Falling Leaves scouts
10 Blue Falcon scouts
25 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
The outsider did her best not to look anxious, looking around the room to watch groups and densities among both the orcs and slaves. Her gaze met Anya's for a moment, and she saw the emotions in the other's eyes. She returned the look with a mixture of worry, anxiety, and fear. partially hidden from the eyes of the rest of the room, she held her hands out shoulderwidth apart, then moved them together, trying to tell Anya to group the orcs nearer to herself, to draw more in.
With the proper surprise, the numbers would fall much more evenly, but the timing would need to be perfect. She started trying to make eye contact with the other groups around, indicating that they should be ready, and nodding a few of the groups towards each of the exits, if there weren't any closeby already. She didn't want to wait until Anya was in the stocks, but if she couldn't find a large enough group to open up with, she may indeed have to wait. Fortunately, the place was rowdy enough that so long as they could keep any orcs from escaping, the sounds of combat wouldn't be taken as unusual by any passerby outside.
((Thinking of one more post before the actual combat, but pretty well regardless, Al is gonna upen with a holy fire blast, probably 10EP, centered on Anya when she gets a good enough group going, hopefully before she's locked into the stocks.))
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 68/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
Alberik and her group were largely ignored by the orcs, or at least the real ones. Her troops covered by illusions glanced in her direction regularly as Anya mounted the platform on which the stocks sat, the portly orc following the scout up and undid his belt and trousers. Anya spun in a slow circle on the stage, a cheer going up on the surrounding orcs as they got a good look at her naked body. Bardock strode forward as his pants partially fell, the orc's long thick member springing forth, and grabbed Anya around the waist and chest, feeling her up as his rod poked against her bottom and smeared precum over her toned backside. "Your lord musta 'ad some fun breakin you in, aye? Come on then, in the stocks with ya!" Bardock demanded loudly while steering Anya toward the apparatus.
Alberik's troop,s having interpreted their instructions, were on the move already, some of then corralling more orcs toward Anya by crowding them in while others moved toward the exits to keep any orcs from getting out once the fighting started. Greyback was on her knees on the stage, her generous bosom hanging down over a crowd of gawking orcs who were taking it in turns to reach for her breasts. Though they were all pushing and shoving against one another, several managed to get a good grope in and a few even managed to place their mouths over one of her nipples for a second, and though she put on a good face for her audience Alberik could tell in the furtive glances that were being shot her way as the mage awaited her signal that she didn't much like the orc's none-too-gentle attentions. The effect was that two dozen orcs were pressed around her table in an attempt to get to her, however, and as she was the only one nearby she was free to use her magics upon them without fearing friendly fire.
Just as Alberik was about to initiate the battle, however, disaster struck. A part of twenty more orcs pushed their way into the hall, led by one in very distinctive armor that marked him as the equivalent of a knight among the beastmen. A hundred and thirty foes now stood among them in addition to the two hundred or so slaves who's role in the battle was questionable at best. A few more of their number stepped in as well, but they were still outnumbered by their foes and their slaves somewhat severely. The knight was standing close to Alberik's group, who were disguised as frightened slaves, and the fact that so many were clumped so closely together didn't escape the orc's notice. He rounded on them and loudly demanded, "Oi, you lot, what are you doing here all clumped up? Get to work or I'll have you all whipped and thrown into the pits for a fortnight!" He wasn't much farther than ten feet from them from where they stood on the edge of the crowd, but there was only one other group of friendlies within easy reach, a group of elves who were gazing at the orc's back quite murderously despite being disguised as orcs.
Anya had seen the other orcs come in as well, and a brief panicked look had come over the woman's face before her brow furrowed. Suddenly turning on her heal and kneeling, she said in a surprisingly believable subservient, subdued tone of voice, "Allow me to service you properly, my lord!" Without further preamble, Anya took the orc's cock and started licking and kissing it, and though she was unable to suppress the look of revulsion that came across her face as she did so, Anya apparently proved quite adept at the task judging by the look on Bardock's face. "Ahhh, this one's well trained! Ahhh.... That's a good lass..."
The crowded orcs were packed close together as they watched the blond woman suck their comrade off on stage, and Anya had also managed to keep herself from being put into the stocks. Of course, things looked about ready to descend into an orgy if something didn't happen to the orcs soon, and Alberik still had the armored orc standing close by and glaring at her. What she would do in this situation was entirely up to her.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Allies in position to attack the cafeteria:
Greyback, master wizard
12 Mages (illusionists)
15 Falling Leaves scouts
15 Blue Falcon scouts
35 CCM scouts
Current number of orcs in the cafeteria:
1 orc knight
130 orc soldiers
200 slaves
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Alberik met Anya's and Greyback's gazes, trying to look impatient. Only a few seconds more, and things would be clumped together enough for...
Her train of thought was interrupted as the newly arriving orc spoke to her group directly. She turned in surprise, her mind furiously working to alter the plan for yet another time. "My lord!" She said, defenestrating herself as an answer popped into her mind. As she continued to speak, she reached out with her powers to wrap around the knight's mind, trying to take control "Our Master sent us here to speak with you, we were trying to wait. But one of us was..." She said, then stopped, looking towards Anya meaningfully. "She's supposed to be a gift to you..."
Telepathy, Dominate. 8EP, opposed resistance check. Not sure if the Arcane *Armour* buff would help with resistance in this case. If Al wins, he's being directed to flip out and go kill the guy Anya's dealing with.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 60/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion, Dominating
Rolls
Resistance: Alberik wins. Her Resistance buff does count towards this.
The orc rages, temporarily putting aside Alberik's control. He then goes over and murders the guy that Anya's sucking off, I don't feel like rolling it as he can't miss and probably can't fail to kill him in one shot. He then unrages, and Alberik has to tell him how to explain himself to his comrades.
Alberik's psychic tendrils slipped into the armored orc's mind and assumed control of him. He blinked rapidly for a moment before muttering; "Present... For....." He paused and glanced over at Anya, and the orc that she was sucking off, and did exactly as Alberik had commanded him to. He went utterly and completely ballistic.
The sudden upwelling of rage present in the orc's mind made it all but impossible for her to control, and all that she could do was hold on and watch what happened next. The knight let out a roar that shook the hall all around him as he wrenched the greataxe off of his back and charged, bowling over those orcs that didn't get out of his way. Bardock the orc turned and watched as the orc knight charged through the crowd towards him with his axe held high, but before the man could recover from his shock and even say a word the knight had reached him.
The knight swung his greataxe one handed and diagonally, and Anya dove out of the way and into the corner just as the strike landed. The steel tore through the flabbier beastman as if his flesh and bone were dry sticks and melted butter, and it continued swinging even after leaving Bardock's body, but the orc knight recovered perfectly, half turning with the momentum of his axe and very nearly decapitating one of the orcs he had knocked over to reach the platform with the stocks on it. Bardock fell in two pieces, cut in half from his right shoulder to his left hip, and with a shocked and confused expression on his face.
The knight rounded on his compatriots, who were all attempting to back away, pressing the crowd even tighter together but putting them slightly away from the stocks. His rage faded as he completed Alberik's orders, and thus allowing the outsider to reassert control over him. What she would do with it now that the cafeteria was dead silent, all eyes fixed on the stage and the man standing on it, was up to her to decide.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Allies in position to attack the cafeteria:
Greyback, master wizard
12 Mages (illusionists)
15 Falling Leaves scouts
15 Blue Falcon scouts
35 CCM scouts
Current number of orcs in the cafeteria:
1 orc knight
130 orc soldiers
200 slaves
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Al panicked a bit as the rage broke the orc free of her direct control for a minute, but it seemed to be following her direction after all, and her control returned afterwards. Rather than try to hide the orc from what just happened, she simply gave him the identifiers to tell friend from foe under the illusions, and sent him to attack any orc without an identifying marker.
As she was doing this, she gave the signal for the arrayed forces to open up, starting to summon energy herself to blast away a group she had spotted that still had a large amount of slaves clustered within. It would kill less than if she aimed elsewhere, but she was one of the few that could do such a thing with impunity, not having to worry about the slaves within her area in the slightest.
Either as part of the dominate, or spend 3EP on mind worm, to give him the info to not attack our forces. then send him off to down as many orcs as he could. set off the signal, and either Holy fire with the stats from earlier, or if her turn is already spent, feel free to run two, and have her do that next.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 60/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
Rolls
To keep him under control.
Resistance: Alberik wins.
Alberik sends out a Holy Fire blast for 10 EP.
Attack: Hit dem orcs.
Damage: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 * 10 = 60 damage. Twenty orcs are caught in the blast and die horribly.
Casting (Mages) : Universal success. Some use illusions, other use AoE spells.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 7 + 6 + 2 = 15 * 4 = 60 damage. They kill ten orcs apiece, and three of them used the damage spells.
The other scouts each slaughter an orc without me having to roll. Dem sneak attacks. As such, the battle in the cafeteria is over before it even begins.
After Alberik gave the signal to attack, a lot of things happened extremely quickly. Firstly, the orc she'd controlled surged into the crowd around him with his greataxe held high, the blade descending quickly and sending another of his kin to join Bardock in the afterlife. Heartbeats afterwards Alberik's blip of white light shot out and exploded in the midst of a group of the barbaric warriors, charring their flesh from their bones and dropping a full score of them. Bursts of blinding light burst from three separate places within the cafeteria, burning the flesh from bone just as Alberik's holy flames had but doing so with pure light rather than magical fire. Dozens of blue bolts of magical energy suddenly burst out from Greyback, tearing through the crowd of orcs that had been vying for a turn at her tits as if they were made of tissue paper.
Scores of orcs died in seconds under the sudden magical assault, and those that were left were torn to shreds. The rasp of steel and a handful of sudden cries filled the hall and were followed shortly thereafter by the sound of steel sliding into flesh as the scouts made short work of the remaining orcs. It couldn't be called a battle, more like a massacre, and at the end of it nearly a hundred orcs lay dead. In the confusion that followed Alberik saw Anya dart over her equipment and draw out a hand-and-a-half sword, which she used to cleanly decapitate one orc who'd avoided Alberik's blast of fire. A heartbeat later she felt the presence of the orc she'd dominated vanish, and she knew immediately that he'd been killed, though she couldn't tell where.
Not more than five seconds later, a group of orcs suddenly appeared at each of the doors, but Alberik quickly realized that they were illusions rather than the real thing. They were left in a room with two hundred terrified and confused slaves, over a hundred dead orcs, and two of their number standing butt naked in the midst of the bloodbath. All in all, it could only be called successful.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Allies in position to attack the cafeteria:
Greyback, master wizard
12 Mages (illusionists)
15 Falling Leaves scouts
15 Blue Falcon scouts
35 CCM scouts
Current number of orcs in the cafeteria:
200 slaves
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Alberik whirled in place after she sent off her own blast, gathering more energy as she tried to pick out a spot that needed. She felt the knight under her control fall, his mind vanishing from her senses as he died. Seconds later, the place stilled again, and she dissipated her energy, not having any targets to send it after. Letting out a sigh of relief, she reached out to the mages back at the academy, repeating the process from earlier to open a portal here as well, and walking over to Anya afterwards.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think of the excuse Bardock offered afterwards, I'll do better, if there's a next time." She offers quietly, starting to pass the woman her clothing so she could dress again more easily.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 60/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
Rolls
Not really, gain 4 experience.
After the portal cracked open upon the mages at the Academy receiving the signal, Alberik found that Anya was already well on her way to redressing herself while the scouts cleared out the bodies, corralled the orc's slaves to a place where they couldn't make much noise, and kept watch for more orcs that might enter through one of the illusion-guarded doors. She grimaced at Alberik's words and replied, "Don't worry about it ma'am. I know our duty called for us to hold for a bit longer. All the same, do try to be a bit quicker with the tongue next time yeah? I'd rather not have to use mine like that again on an orc."
With Alberik's help, Anya was quick to fully secure her armor and was then ready to leave. A moment later, an elf appeared beside Alberik and said; "Ma'am, we have two hundred slaves, some of them our kin and others captured humans. What should we do with them? Many of them are broken, so keeping them here wouldn't be too difficult. It would still be a drain on manpower though, and it might be best to send them through the gate in small groups between patrols coming through. Most of the scouting parties are already through, and the main infantry and other mages can hold the doors while we fan out and do as much damage as we can. Do you have any other orders for us?"
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
Alberik nodded to Anya, not feeling the need to expand the conversation any more than that, leaving the scout to her dressing as she tried to busy herself clearing room for the troops to arrive without making the place too empty. That lasted only a few minutes before she was approached again.
Even her illusory face saddened as she listened to the report, glancing over at a few groups of the broken slaves. "This room is going to be a drain on manpower regardless. Set up a false wall to cut sight of the portal off from the entrance, the orcs outside still thing this is an open bar, and we need to keep it that way as long as we can. Unfortunately, we need to keep some of the slaves here, it's the most efficient way to add to the illusion. Let orcs in, then kill or capture them once the door shuts, keep enough slaves or substitutes here looking normal to set them at ease while this happens. Any of the slaves too out of it to co-operate, send them to the academy to recover, regardless of heritage. The rest of the plan remains solid, so it stands." She relies after a moment's thought, pointing around to match the target of her directions.
Assuming the elf that approached her had no more questions, she'd turn and collect her squad again. "Are we ready to move again? Did anyone get injured during the sneak attack?"
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 60/91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield, Lesser Strength (+16 Body for Telvesh,) Arcane Armour (+16 Resistance,) Holding a Minor Illusion
The elf nodded at Alberik's orders and sharply responded; "Yes ma'am, right away." He had no further questions and thus gave Alberik a low bow and then turned away to relay her orders to the rest of the scouts. Things were proceeding smoothly as the soldiers, both those that had been present for the ambush and the larger groups of heavy infantry coming through the newly opened portal, cleared the bodies and managed the slaves.
Upon reassembling her own squad of troops, Alberik found them all uninjured, and Anya reported; "No ma'am. No serious injuries and no casualties on our side. We're ready to head out wherever you'd like to go." Alberik was left with a choice of directions. She could head for any number of places from here, either to the place she'd picked for the third portal into Gods-Reach, the great hall where she had fought the elder lords and where Erik had died; or to the armory where she might be able to weaken the orc's defenses when the battle began in full; or to the barracks where a great many orcs would be, likely unarmed and unprepared for battle; or to the tower in which Sera and the orc leaders would be waiting for her. The three routes to the tower were the same as before, along either of the walls of the fortress where she would have to worry about sentries rather than slaves, through the front door, or through the sewers.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the first gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria guarding the second gate
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
The outsider nodded, her mind on the next destination made up before she had even entered the cafeteria. "We head to the tower, just a bit further past here. I need a moment to recuperate, then we can leave." She said, finding a place to sit. She didn't rest very well, though, her mind reaching out to Sera again, finding her friend's mind much quicker the second time around. This time, she made full contact, making her presence known and speaking to the elven woman.
{Sera, it's Alberik. I need you to remain calm, and act like nothing has changed. We're coming to rescue you under an illusion as slaves, can you give me names or some other way to hurry us past the orcs in the tower into the room you're in?} She sent slowly, Hoping Sera was in right enough mind to play along, and the shock of hearing Al's voice didn't cause her any more trouble.
Regardless of the answer, Alberik reached out Again, to Telvesh this time. {I need to rest, can you do without my aid at present?} She asked, waiting until he could before dropping all her magical expenditures. She rested more properly then, slowly feeling energy drift back into her. Once she was more prepared, she recast the buff on herself and the illusion, nodding to the group afterwards. She stood and doublechecked the illusion, changing a few minor details with a moment of focus before leading them back out into the cold, towards the door of the tower.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine, Arcane Shield
"Yes ma'am," Anya replied, and she and the rest of Alberik's squad settled back to wait while the outsider did her business. Firstly, she contacted Sera and relayed her request. The elven woman's mind was... Foggy, to say the least, and she seemed confused by the contact at first, her thoughts coming sluggishly and in a jumbled mess. '[Alberik.... Wha.... What? But you're... Not here....]'
The woman took a moment to process Alberik's request before replying; '[Names... Of slaves? To get in? Uhhh.... There aren't... Ser Javick is... My owner.... The drake.... The white drake....]' The woman seemed disoriented, her thoughts jumbled and disjoint, and it would be difficult for Alberik to get any more out of the enslaved elven woman. What that might say about Sera's current state was up to Alberik's imagination to determine.
After that, she went and contacted Telvesh over her mental link, to which the elven warrior simply replied; ['Go ahead then, we just finished a skirmish. No injured on our side.'] With that, Alberik was free to rest for a few moments, her energy regenerating, and then they were ready and able to leave the others to cleaning up the cafeteria entry point. Anya led the way towards the tower, visible even in the dark of the night and through the thin veil of falling snow. Alberik was free, as before, to choose her route; either through the sewers, through the wall, or through the front door.
Current Party:
Anya, scout
5 CCM scouts
Current Assault Force Numbers:
Telvesh, last of the Falling Leaves, out on patrol
Arikur, leader of the Blue Falcons, guarding the first gate
Professor Greyback, in the cafeteria guarding the second gate
200 Mages, about 40 of whom can cast convincing illusions.
80 Falling Leaves (elves,) including 10 knights, 40 scouts, and 30 soldiers.
150 Blue Falcons, including 20 knights, 40 scouts, and 90 soldiers.
400 CCM troops, including 40 knights, 100 scouts and 260 soldiers.
