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Without a Home (Shrike7)


Re: To Know Everything (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine
Irienys: HP = 65, PP = 35, EP = 76, Status = Fine

Tariel glanced in Alberik's direction at the brief mental contact, but the angel still did not speak. Her gaze returned to the table before them, and in particular the tower at the center of Gods-Reach. Alberik had seen this look on the angel's face before. It was the one she wore when she was receiving a prophetic vision, which her kind received with varying frequency. Tariel only seemed to get them every month or so, and they rarely had enough detail with them to change much, but her insight had allowed Alberik to warn of a few attacks over the last two war torn years, both by the orcs and by the aliens. Whatever she was seeing now, she seemed to want to keep it to herself.

"The same consequences some might say, but fair enough. I think including those able to cast at least some minor illusions, I might be able to scrape together a hundred... Maybe a hundred and twenty students. Another thirty with contacts to the fey and the ability to call on their aid. Probably another sixty that can summon demons if you don't think that's enough, but ultimately it's your call Alberik." Greyback replied. The woman had as much dislike of the idea of using demons as Alberik did, but she liked losing people even less. She was a professor at the Academy, and every person they had lost was a friend to her, some as close to her as her own children.

Telvesh, not one to speak when it wasn't needed, nodded and left the room, no doubt heading off to see that his men were prepared. Arikur in turn replied; "The best. Each of them can fight at least as well as any of the knights under my command, and can improvise a bit better to boot. Aye, we can see to the riflemen."

The representative of the Combined Crolian Militia scowled darkly at Alberik when she addressed him. "I find the likelihood of your success insufficient to merit further investment. Throwing our men into the meat grinder that you'll be taking them into in order to recover the fallen stronghold of a dead race is not something that the people of the cities of Crolia will consider a worthwhile expenditure of the lives of their sons and daughters. It will be a volunteer force only, and any men under my command who agree to it will be doing so on their own time." He said each word crisply and clearly, and stood glaring at Alberik the entire time.

Every eye in the room was on the man, even Tariel throwing him a look of outrage despite the angel's allegedly neutral stance on the war with the orcs as he stormed from the room. "Maybe it was a good thing that Telvesh left when he did. Then we'd have to clean the blood off of the floor." Arikur spoke, his words dry and lacking in the humour he'd intended to inject into the conversation. "It's stone, it'd wash easy." Miranda replied in a hollow voice, her gaze now directed at the map. "I'll go and have a few words with him, see if I can't convince him to see reason. If not, I'll just go to his junior officers. They at least have the sense not to hide their heads up their asses." Arikur said, and then quickly went after the CCM representative.

"If ever there was a worse time...." Tariel muttered, and then shook her head and returned her gaze to the map.
 
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Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik's eyes widened a bit as she realized Tariel was receiving another vision, turning back and resolving to ask the angel about it later.

She sighed as greyback listed the numbers she had available. "The illusions will be the most useful in the first phase, we shouldn't need that many. Scratch off any that you feel shouldn't be placed in such a situation, we can make do with the more experienced ones, as well as the fey... And, the demons." She added, with another sigh. Things felt like they were falling apart already...

At least Telvesh and Arikur could be relied on to provide aid. She nodded at the former as he strode out, then turned to the latter. "Good, I'll leave them to you then. If you have anyone that can keep in contact with me for updates, do so. Otherwise, I'll check in as often as I can spare the energy."

But the feeling came back when the CCM representative replied. She listened silently, her milky-white eyes fixing their gaze upon him coldly, the only outward sign of her intense dislike for the man manifested in the short tentacles sprouting from the lower parts of her face, which twitched almost continuously as he spoke. She waited until he finished his speech, answering him as he got up and stormed from the room. "This is a volunteer force to begin with." She reminded him coldly. "If possible, I'd like to be the one to ask for volunteers. Is that acceptable?"

Once he was gone, she let the others vent their frustrations before continuing. "I've fought beside the CCM for long enough, chances are asking for volunteers will net us more soldiers than he would have given us regardless. Even more so if he actually allows me to speak " She added to the mix, to calm some nerves.

"So, assuming all goes well up to the point the alarm is raised, the orcs will be without their upper levels of leadership, and have the riflemen taken care of. What can we expect them to do from there on? Numbers will still likely be in the range of three to one against us, with our first forces scattered and their reinforcements starting to move out from our original control point. Chances of surrender at that point is almost nil, but what could we do to speed it along? Any casters or spirit users amongst them need to be our first priority at that point. Any thoughts?"
 
Re: To Know Everything (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine
Irienys: HP = 65, PP = 35, EP = 76, Status = Fine

The man didn't even stop to respond to Alberik as he stormed from the room, instead shouting over his shoulder; "Do as you will, creature." Tariel looked up again at the man, scowling darkly, but the angel did nothing else.

"You're likely right.... He is not popular amongst his men." The angel, now one of the last in the room, said as she turned toward Alberik. "If they keep with their usual tactics, the orcs will form into bands when pressed, usually organized around tribal lines or other, lesser loyalties. If they receive no orders, their lesser officers will maintain unity on a small scale, and they will still work together to try and repulse you, but without their top leaders they will be hard pressed to face a concerted effort. The orcs will not surrender. It is not their way. They will die to a man, or retreat and regroup for a counter attack, maybe sending a few of their wounded to tell of the attack if they are repulsed from the keep."

In her experience, what Tariel said was largely true. They had captured some orcs, of course, and some had surrendered, but the majority had fought to the death. It had made many battles a long and bloody affair, which was why it had taken so long to organize a mission to retake Gods-Reach. This battle could take as long as three days, if the cleanup was included.
 
Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik didn't repsond to the man after that, simply turned back and shuddered a bit, ridding herself of the thoughts until after.

"If that's what we have to deal with, then we'll just have to do it. We'll send a unit to hold the gate once the alarm sounds. Keeping them in will be more effort, but a counterattack would be even more so." She said, more or less talking to herself by now. Everything seemed rather simple by this point anyways, it was at the start where the worst complications would arise.

"I should probably go ask for volunteers then." She mumbles. Now that her time in the spotlight has passed, however temporarily, her mind was starting to lose focus again. "Professor, have you ever heard of a magical way to prevent dispelling? Perhaps some sort of dummy aura that would be dispelled in it's stead?" She asked, turning back to the map for a second, examining the tower Tariel had been staring at earlier. "Tariel, please, walk with me. Tell me what you saw. I recognized that look." She said with a knowing smile. She started a bit when she turned and saw Irienys standing by the door. "Oh, Iri, I'm sorry, you can come too, of course."
 
Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

"Creature..?" Her eyes narrowed a bit when she heard the man shout that out. She felt irritated hearing that. Making something of a "hmph" sound, she quietly muttered out "What a jerk." after he had left. She didn't appreciate someone calling her friend that, for sure. This entire situation felt out of place for her, like a low ranking soldier sitting in a war room having trouble just following the conversations. She had gathered enough to understand the situation, though her head had gotten frustrated from it. Truly this was not a place she had any use in. Nay, the battlefield where they would fight the Orcs is where she would shine, if at all.

"Oh," She would give a nod to Alberik, walking over to her side. "Of course. I'm um, curious as to what Tariel saw as well." Having caught Alberik said, she'd look to the divine one and give her a small nod. "The nerve of that person... Ugh. We'll show him. This battle shall be won for sure. Even with how difficult things have been. Goodness, I can't imagine being in your place... Having to speak with everyone like that and put up with someone like that man. He was... The representative of Crolian, yes? Such a bitter person..."
 
Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

"Combined Crolian Military, CCM. He took over once Vartath passed in his sleep, just those few days ago... He doesn't matter any more. He gave us leave to talk to the rest of the Militia, we'll be much better off with them, and he tied his own hands. Once he sees we have the best interests in heart, I'm sure he'll calm down some." Alberik said slowly, her head nodding a few times during the speech.
 
Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine
Irienys: HP = 65, PP = 35, EP = 76, Status = Fine

After Greyback had blinked and offered an; "I'll see what I can do!" Tariel nodded and walked with Iri and Alberik out of the meeting room, the rest dispersing on their own. The angel remained silent until they were well out of earshot, and then turned down an abandoned corridor of the Academy. She continued to walk a ways, and then stopped in the middle of the room and turned toward them with a sweep of her wing.

"I have been made aware of three things, and only two of them by my own Insight. The third I will save for last, because it is the most distressing in its implications, for it came from on high. Firstly, however..." She paused and turned toward Irienys, "Irienys... You are in grave danger this day. I saw you upon the field of battle... Broken. I know not whether you were alive or dead in my vision, but it must have something to do with my second vision."

She turned back to Alberik and paused briefly. "A dark cloud hung over Gods-Reach, and as I watched it burst into bright red flame. Hellfire. This leads me to the last thing that I have to tell you.... That I have been granted limited ability to aid you, if you need it." Tariel drew out a blue small gem and handed it over. "You will know when it is time to draw this out, Alberik. I will come to your call through this gem whenever you need it, at no cost to you. I fear.... That some other power is moving in this. Something that we have not yer seen fully."

She paused to sigh, and glanced around the abandoned corridor for a moment. "I wish that I could help you more in this, Alberik. You have given much for the defense of a world that is not your own, and let the trails leading to your own goals grow colder and longer with each passing day. I hope that we can repay that properly someday.... And I hope that I will see both of you again soon. Alive and well."
 
Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik nodded at Professor Greyback before she left. "Hopefully before the assault, but my idea will still work afterwards, just to a lesser effect." She mentioned, then left the woman to her research.

She listened intently to Tariel without interrupting. For some reason, the angel could always hold her focus. She also took the gem and secreted it away. Hopefully it won't become lost in the assault, the orcs should be too busy trying to stab her to strip her, with any luck. Her appearance had helped with that as well, in some cases over these two years.

"Just you?" She asked slowly. "I mean, not just the gem, but could I bring more to help with whatever is about to happen?" She asked first, wanting to get that out of the way. She turned to Iri next. "We'll stick together, sounds like I'll have a chance to repay you for all the times you've saved me. Now that we know about it, we can most likely prevent it." She reassured the warrior.

She stayed silent as Tariel thanked her, thinking for a moment before shrugging. "I have dedicated nothing but time so far, and by all accounts I should have plenty of that. I can't really piece together enough fragments to foll myself into thinking I know anywhere else. This is my home, I'll defend it as hard as anyone else would. And from what we could gather, my goal likely lies with the aliens in any case." She said slowly, nodding her head as she went. "Thanks. And we'll be fine. probably."
 
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Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

“G-grave danger...” She muttered to herself, her face now almost looking pale. The last thing she needed was cold feet right before the battle. Or maybe that was exactly what she needed to avoid this impending doom coming her way. The young woman made a small gulp, for the first time in forever almost looking as nervous as she always had a few years ago. Being raped was one thing, at least that held the chance of escape or being saved. At the very least, you could bite your tongue off and kill yourself when it became too much. Potential death however? Far worse. When the angel went over her second vision, that didn't help very much.

Hellfire? This just got worse and worse. “From the sound of it, even if I'm not dead by the end of this, a lot of our troops will be..” She muttered out very quietly, daring not to say that too loudly. It was now weighing on her mind. She then realized within a second that she was just making this worse for herself by getting this worried. Irienys began to suppress that fear, put it somewhere it couldn't get out of so easily.

“Thank you, Tariel. You've been a really good friend to us. I'll do my best to get through this in one piece...” She turned to Alberik, wanting to thank her just as much. “If we are together, then I shall do my best to protect you from whatever comes near you. Thank you, Alberik. We'll be sure to pull through this. I just hope I do not have to rely heavily on my battle aura ability... I really wish I could find a way to at least temporarily boost the energy that fuels that power. It eats my energy up so quickly...” Wishful thinking, but it probably wouldn't happen. Iri would have to prepare herself the best she could before the big battle and hope for the best. Maybe some better armor then the set she wore long ago and a better sword then the old one she had been lugging around for two years would do her good. Not that she wanted to rid herself of the old blade. It had sentimental value. Maybe upgrade it somehow? Who knew.
 
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Re: Without a Home, (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine
Irienys: HP = 65, PP = 35, EP = 76, Status = Fine

Shrike7 said:
"Just you?" She asked slowly. "I mean, not just the gem, but could I bring more to help with whatever is about to happen?" She asked first, wanting to get that out of the way. She turned to Iri next. "We'll stick together, sounds like I'll have a chance to repay you for all the times you've saved me. Now that we know about it, we can most likely prevent it." She reassured the warrior.
Click to expand...

"The gem will call to me, but I imagine that you may call for the assistance of others if I am insufficient. Honestly, I pray that such is not needed, but I will trust to your judgement in this."

Shrike7 said:
She stayed silent as Tariel thanked her, thinking for a moment before shrugging. "I have dedicated nothing but time so far, and by all accounts I should have plenty of that. I can't really piece together enough fragments to foll myself into thinking I know anywhere else. This is my home, I'll defend it as hard as anyone else would. And from what we could gather, my goal likely lies with the aliens in any case." She said slowly, nodding her head as she went. "Thanks. And we'll be fine. probably."
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

"I hope so. Good luck to you in your battle, Alberik, and to you too Irienys."

With that, the angel seemed to be done with them. Unless they had further questions, then it was time to begin preparations for the coming battle. The Falling Leaves and the Blue Falcons could likely see to themselves, and Greyback had never disappointed them before, but she would still have to try and get volunteers from the CCM. Many of the men in the Academy garrison knew Alberik, or at least knew of her, and while she wasn't particularly close with any of them, she had heard of their respect for her in the past. While their representative might be a worthless pigs ass, Alberik could still appeal to the men directly in their training field just outside of the Academy. The marshlands to the East had been converted to fields for their use, and that was probably where most of them were now.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

"The gem will call to me, but I imagine that you may call for the assistance of others if I am insufficient. Honestly, I pray that such is not needed, but I will trust to your judgement in this."

Alberik nodded. "In all honestly, I hope that you will not be needed either, but 'tis best to be prepared for the worst. That way all surprises would be pleasant. You've been nearly as busy as I am, hopefully you'll be able to spend the time with Charles. How has he been?" She asked, headed towards the exit to outside, on her way to the Eastern grounds, to speak with the soldiers.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine
Irienys: HP = 65, PP = 35, EP = 76, Status = Fine

"Agreed, but don't hesitate to call upon my help if you need to." Tariel replied, and then blushed slightly at the mention of her lover, a fact she'd been trying (and of course failing) to keep as secret as possible. "He's.... He's fine. Yes. Fine. I believe that he's busy today as well anyway." She replied, and then at the soonest possible place took her leave of Alberik and Irienys with a bow.

The two left the Academy itself quickly enough, the guards outside only having to glance at them before letting them past. They were both fairly well known, having participated in the war effort for so long, and just about everyone knew them by sight. As they passed across the lightly sloped plain leading down toward the magically transformed marshlands, they passed a few people who were doing an assortment of things, some studying while others practiced lesser magics, and far off, beneath a pine tree, Al and Iri spotted a pair, a man and a woman both dressed in student's robes, lying very close together. It didn't take much imagination or a closer look to be able to tell what they were doing together, and were being given a wide berth by everyone else in the wide field.

As they reached the camp where the CCM was set up for a long term occupation, thick tents and temporary log structures having been erected to help ward off the cold, and guard towers with permanent magical sentry fixtures to detect intruders set up along its perimeter. Alberik and Irienys were greeted with waves from the men and women manning the those defensive towers, and allowed to pass into the camp without anyone trying to stop them despite their assorted inhuman features. They received a series of waves and greetings from the assorted soldiers milling about, some working on assorted chores while others idled about fire pits and still others practiced drill and with weapons.

Speaking to individual groups would likely receive the greatest results in terms of recruit numbers, and the largest gatherings were those in training by far, most of the fire pits only having at most a dozen men stationed about while those doing chores were general in groups of no greater than three. That would also take a great deal of time to do, however, and would be at least mildly tiring and quite possibly irritating. If they chose that approach, then it might be beneficial for them to split up if they wanted to save themselves some effort. Alternatively, there was a raised platform at the center of the camp explicitly for the purpose of speaking to all of the troops at once, the bell hanging from it loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the area, but using that required either the permission of the representative of the CCM, or of the camp captain. The former they had just met, but the latter they knew only by reputation. He was, by all accounts, a stern but fair old man, but he was also very by the books. Using it without the permission of one or the other would result in fallout later, but that was also possible, as it was unguarded.

Taking to the platform would allow the two of them to speak to the whole camp at once, but they would have to deliver as general a request as possible, and there would be no immediate feedback as to how many men they had convinced to join the mission to save Gods-Reach. Of course, once they had spoke, they could take as long as they liked to get a general opinion from amongst the dispersing men.

(Choose an approach. If you pick talking to random groups of soldiers, you can just give me the gist of what Al would try to say and I'll show the results, possibly with advice in the next post if it doesn't work out so well. You also have to tell me if you split or stick together.)
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

A serene smile was all Alberik responded with at first as Tariel tried to cover up her time with Charles. It was rather difficult to hide the fact when the other half went and loudly and drunkenly proclaimed his 'Conquest of Heaven' in a bar the day after they first met, after all. He'd remained silent since, as far as she knew, but the cat was already out of the bag. "Of course, 'busy'." She finally said in as flat a tone as she could manage. "We don't leave until tomorrow night, I'm sure he'll be quite 'busy' until then." She remarked, finally cracking a friendly smile. "You two have fun, rest assured we can do without your presence for one more night around here."

They split up once they got outside, Tariel mumbling some reason for another and leaving with a quick bow. She gave Irienys an amused look, then nodded towards the camp, walking with her horribly slow gait in that direction.

Halfway there, she started singing quietly again, as she tended to do when she had someplace to go, and her thoughts wandered. This song was new and upbeat, but she sang it in fits and starts, unable to remember enough to piece them together properly...

So far, so good
You try to sing along to the radio
But it's not your language, it's not your song
It's from some other time ago.

And you're thinking about clouds, the color of fire
And the scent of an orange peel...

And you can't go back, but you're going back
And you don't know what you'll say
You've got half-formed sentences
Explanations for a life half-broken away...
And they just may...

But then again, maybe this life is like a sleeping mountain
Waking up to shape the land...

Calm calm, let it come, let it come back to you..
Calm calm, breathe on out, you know you know what to do...

She fell silent again, having reached within waving distance of the camp. She smiled and waved back as they were let through to the camp itself. Every group that stopped to talk with her, she exchanged a pleasantry or two with, then went to business. "I'm looking for volunteers, let people know." She told them, and moved on, headed towards the tent of the Camp Captain. The representative told her she could ask for volunteers, and stressed the importance of not wasting anyone's time. Ringing the bell would allow all the camp to hear her request once, and get right back to their duties, wasting as little time as possible. The man had also specifically said 'Do as you will.' To her, so that should be permission enough. Just in case, however, she felt it best to gain more proper permission from the other authority.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine

(There was an IRC conversation. Basically, Iri isn't going to participate any further in this thread until IronAnt decides that he wants to again. That is all. We just lost the transcripts of it, is all.)

Tariel was as red as a beat by the time she parted ways from Irienys and Alberik, but said no more. Later, along the walk over, Alberik and Irienys had a conversation.....

Despite their relatively warm reception, Alberik finds that many of them don't seem to want to stop for very long. The camp seemed to be busy for some reason, as everyone was busy with some task or another, though on reflection Albeirk couldn't remember a time when that wasn't the case.

It didn't take her very long to find the captain of the camp, since his tent was located right beneath the flag of Therion. The guards allowed her to pass without comment, and a very tired looking man in a set of ornate officer's armor, gilded in silver as per the style of a general. He had long blond hair that was starting to turn white in places and a shorter beard of similar color, but his sky blue eyes were still sharp and attentive as he turned toward her.

"You're Alberik, right? I suppose you must be. Not many who look like you wandering around here, eh? What can I do for you?" He said, giving her his full attention despite knowing her only by reputation.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik bowed a bit in confirmation.

"Yes, greetings. I'll try and take as little of your time as possible. I'm looking for volunteers for an operation to take back God's Reach, the new representative gave me permission to speak to the camp, I'm here to ask for more specific permission to use the camp bell in order to do so." She explained quickly, waiting for the man's response, another part of her mind still trying to figure out the speech she'd have to use...
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine

"Ahhh, of course. Come on, I was done here anyway, I'll go with you just to make sure no one gives you trouble." He said, and then walked over to the door, pausing to throw a cloak over his shoulders and then continuing out of the tent. Alberik was led back to the platform with the bell, and he silently ascended it. When she was up next to him, he placed his hand on the bell and said; "Are you ready?"

When she gave an affirmative response, the captain rang the bell a couple of dozen times, and the soldiers of the CCM started filing into the clearing around it. Inside of ten minutes, the entire force, some four hundred men, had assembled around the small watch tower. They were waiting, most of them staring at Alberik with an assortment of emotions ranging from annoyance to curiosity present on those faces that she could see clearly. The courtyard was dead silent.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7 and IronAnt)

Alberik nodded and said a quick thank you, following the man up to the bell platform and looking out over the place for a second before nodding once more. "As ready as I'll ever be." She said, motioning for him to ring it. She stood silently while everyone gathered, watching carefully as her mind double and triple-checked her speech, to make sure everything was in order. When everyone had gathered, she spoke.

"Your representative gave me permission to speak to you all, but stressed the importance of your duties and training, so I will keep this as brief as I can. Tomorrow night, I plan to take back God's Reach from the orcs, supported by the academy, the Blue Falcons, and the House of the Fallen Leaf. We will strike from inside the fortress itself, taking out many of the upper leadership before they can raise the alarm, as well as other key forces inside. However, that leaves us at about three to one against the remaining forces, who will be scattered into smaller groups, but still individually coherent. I'm here to ask for volunteers to even those odds." She paused for a minute to gauge the men's reaction before continuing.

"Everyone will be dropped in by teleportation as fast as possible once the alarm is raised, into safe zones the first wave will have set up. From there, it's a simple sweep and clear, same as we've been doing for so long, but with a different enemy. They are unlikely to surrender, any offers of such are to be taken with a grain of salt, and proceeded with only if it can be done safely. The slaves in the fortress probably outnumber the orcs two to one, but they are most likely to stand back and offer help to neither side. They are to be saved when possible, but if any are actively fighting with the orcs, there's little we can do in any immediate fashion." She paused once more, shifting a bit.

"Now, to aid with my planning, can I have a quick show of hands for people volunteering?" She quickly gauged how many hands appeared, then nodded. "Thank you. I will be staying here as long as I can manage tonight and through tomorrow, to answer questions and gather a more accurate count." She says, then takes a step back and nods to the captain, that he can dismiss the assembly.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine

The initial reaction of the men listening to Alberik's speech was fairly positive, and she heard a few brief unintelligible murmurs of people speaking in response to some of what she said, particularly the parts about their forces being teleported in. When she asked for a show of hands, more than half of them raised their hands immediately with a few more hesitantly joining in near the back. After that, the captain nodded back and shouted; "Those volunteering, report to your senior officers before 1800 today and put in an official request! Report to the southern field in full gear at 1100 tomorrow! Now, dismissed!"

The crowd began to disperse, and the captain turned to her and remarked; "It's a solid plan, but the orc's leaders won't be easy to kill. The chieftains and their direct underlings are often the best fighters in the horde, and we still don't even know who commanded the attack on Gods-Reach. We've received no intel from the area for almost two weeks either, and we've begun to suspect that our scouts are being killed or captured. Be careful, Alberik." With that, he turned and descended from the tower, leaving her to do more or less as she pleased.
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

The outsider nodded back, managing a bit of a smile from her warped features. "Layers and layers of plans, all up in here." She said, tapping the side of her head. "Personal safety has fallen quite far on the list of priorities, I fear. But thank you, I will try. We'll take the Reach back, we have to." She told the man with certainty nearly comparable to that of Tariel's visions.

Once he left, she sat on the edge of the platform for a while, watching the bustle as everyone went back to their duties. She had told them all she would stay and ask questions, but she wasn't sure they would have any questions, from the looks she observed. Maybe she could use the time to better herself in other ways than she was used to...

Standing up again, she wandered until she found a sparring circle, standing on the fringe until the current match was over. It was fairly well known that physical combat was not her specialty, but... "Could I offer a match to anyone? I fear I could use the practice." She said with a bit of a chuckle. She took a glance around for any spare training weapons, if they were using them. If not, she still had Erik's blade, and had kept it in good condition in the two years she had had it. A stray thought went out to her old staff, it had been lost in the confusion of the initial attack, all that time ago, and she had never had the chance to retrieve it...
 
Re: Without a Home (Shrike7)

Alberik: HP = 58, PP = 68, EP = 123, Status = Fine

The soldiers nearest to Alberik paused in their sparring as she entered the training field, no doubt having just started again after the assembly. They fidgeted nervously at her, but by now she'd figured out why; they simply didn't know how they should react to her. She had no official rank to speak of, but she was without a doubt their superior, and many had served under her command indirectly over the course of the war.

At her request, many of the men and women gathered glanced at one another, but then one stepped forward and said; "Aye, ma'am. I'd be happy to offer you some practice." The speaker was a woman, and a very tall one at that, at least six feet tall and probably with about three inches above that. Tufts of lustrous blond hair were visible beneath the edge of her leather helm, and she wore the leather armor and camouflage of a scout. "Private Anya, ma'am, at your service. The training weapons are right over there." She said, and pointed over at a table covered in an assortment of wooden implements shaped vaguely like weapons of war.

"I'll be right over here when you're ready, ma'am." The private replied respectfully, drawing a short wooden sword from her belt and then standing at the ready in one of the rings designated for sparring.
 
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