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The ruby sun hung low over the bustling town of Sestra. Under its lazy gaze, dozens of workmen, soldiers, and citizens scurried about trying to complete their tasks before the purple gloom of night fell.
Nearly unnoticed among the crowd, a tiny figure threaded her way through the masses of people, one hand firmly gripping the strap of a grey woolen pack, and the other gently convincing others to move just enough to allow her to squeeze through.
Before long, the crowd began to thin as she moved from the city proper to the small, somber camp of the displaced Red Blades. There were still workers and soldiers about, but they moved without the boisterousness of the crowds in town. There was little joy in this place - only a grim determination.
From this point, it was not difficult to locate her target: a tall, haggard-looking human in polished red armor who was calmly instructing a group of soldiers in siege preparation. Wordlessly, she walked to a point a short distance in front of him, then waited at attention until noticed her.
It didn’t take long. “Lady Jen,” he stated, nodding in her direction.
“Defender,” she responded. “I have completed the task you assigned me.”
Looked down at the thick bandages on her right arm for a moment, then nodded and motioned for her to follow him to a small stone building that squatted near the center of the camp.
Once inside, he motioned for her to take a seat, but she remained standing until he found his place in the other chair.
“I felt it best to deliver this particular report personally,” she said as she reached into her pack and pulled out two neatly folded pieces of parchment and a small bundle of grey cloth which she handled very gingerly.
He nodded and carefully unrolled the bundle, made note of the small bone-white disc etched with the form of a hooded skull, then opened up the parchment and began to read:
Defender Goodman,
I spent yesterday afternoon and all of last night observing the movements of our enemies in the post. The enclosed map includes the locations of all of the enemy groups I was able to pinpoint, as well as the types of enemies encountered in those locations. Here are some observations I was able to make:
Outside of the Post itself, I found several groups of sentries stationed at regular intervals which consisted of a robed human (who I believe to be a priest of some sort – see below; locations marked on the map with a circle), 2 greater zombies (marked as a capital Z), and 3 or more lesser zombies(marked as a lower-case z). The sentries do not move from their stations, standing perfectly still for hours at a time in eerie silence.
A thick fog that glows with a sickly green light now hangs over the interior pathways of the Post , and it is visible during the day and at night. In addition, the current residents have decorated many of the buildings with large skulls (I am unsure of the type of creature that the skulls would have come from, but they were much too large to be human skulls) that glow with that same green light. Oddly, day and night seem to have no meaning to the residents of the camp. There was no change in activity from one to the other. I suppose that is one advantage to undead troops.
The troops inside of the Post are quite formidable. The two primary guards are large skeletal warriors (represented by an X on the map) that move with great fluidity and giant black dogs (marked with a D on the map). On my last trip into the Post, I was spotted while trying to sneak further inside the temple and attacked by these dogs. Their hides are extremely thick – my weapons could not penetrate deeply enough to cause them harm. In addition, they are supernaturally fast, and I was not completely successful in avoiding their attacks. It’s hard to describe the sensation that accompanies their bite, but it feels as though they have the power to suck your soul from your body, bit by bit. It is an awful feeling and we will likely need to secure some sort of protection against that dark magic if we are to successfully retake the post.
The temple has, as you might have expected, been desecrated. The smell alone is nearly enough to bring you to your knees, and a host of men and beasts prowl its once-hallowed halls. It is far better guarded than the pathways and I was only able to see small portions of it before attracting attention. It is safe to say that the effort required to successfully retake the post will be nothing compared t o the challenge of retaking the temple.
In order to have the freedom I needed to enter the post undetected, I was forced to eliminate a sentry group. I felt no compulsion to challenge them honorably, thus the human died before he knew I was about. The zombies, though resilient, presented little threat and were easily defeated. They made no attempt to warn others. Originally, I thought the human with the sentries was some sort of wizard (as he wore a long, brown robe instead of armor), but in searching the corpse, I found two things: 1) several scrolls of divine magic (ooc – I made my lore rolls on them) and 2) the holy symbol you should also have in your possession. I do not recognize the markings on it, but it does not appear to be a Banite symbol. Also, and this might sound strange, but I don’t think it liked me. It writhed in my grasp and made me feel sick to hold it. Over time, that sensation has dulled considerably.
Strangely, it does not appear that the enemy has made any attempts at further fortifying the post. Perhaps they simply feel they can rely on the strength of their troops (which is considerable) to deflect any attacks.
Finally, though it pains me to say it, I could find no evidence of living slaves in the compound. I was not able to plumb the depths of every building, so it is possible they still live. But I do not hold out hope.
I regret that I was unable to gain more information and that I was discovered. It is my hope that does not prompt them to completely change troop disposition. I await your further orders.
Sincerely,
Adept Jennilyn Greyhollow
(Hold Goodman appears courtesy of richardleitch5 enterprises, a subsidiary of Hold’s player. All rights reserved.)
Nearly unnoticed among the crowd, a tiny figure threaded her way through the masses of people, one hand firmly gripping the strap of a grey woolen pack, and the other gently convincing others to move just enough to allow her to squeeze through.
Before long, the crowd began to thin as she moved from the city proper to the small, somber camp of the displaced Red Blades. There were still workers and soldiers about, but they moved without the boisterousness of the crowds in town. There was little joy in this place - only a grim determination.
From this point, it was not difficult to locate her target: a tall, haggard-looking human in polished red armor who was calmly instructing a group of soldiers in siege preparation. Wordlessly, she walked to a point a short distance in front of him, then waited at attention until noticed her.
It didn’t take long. “Lady Jen,” he stated, nodding in her direction.
“Defender,” she responded. “I have completed the task you assigned me.”
Looked down at the thick bandages on her right arm for a moment, then nodded and motioned for her to follow him to a small stone building that squatted near the center of the camp.
Once inside, he motioned for her to take a seat, but she remained standing until he found his place in the other chair.
“I felt it best to deliver this particular report personally,” she said as she reached into her pack and pulled out two neatly folded pieces of parchment and a small bundle of grey cloth which she handled very gingerly.
He nodded and carefully unrolled the bundle, made note of the small bone-white disc etched with the form of a hooded skull, then opened up the parchment and began to read:
Defender Goodman,
I spent yesterday afternoon and all of last night observing the movements of our enemies in the post. The enclosed map includes the locations of all of the enemy groups I was able to pinpoint, as well as the types of enemies encountered in those locations. Here are some observations I was able to make:
Outside of the Post itself, I found several groups of sentries stationed at regular intervals which consisted of a robed human (who I believe to be a priest of some sort – see below; locations marked on the map with a circle), 2 greater zombies (marked as a capital Z), and 3 or more lesser zombies(marked as a lower-case z). The sentries do not move from their stations, standing perfectly still for hours at a time in eerie silence.
A thick fog that glows with a sickly green light now hangs over the interior pathways of the Post , and it is visible during the day and at night. In addition, the current residents have decorated many of the buildings with large skulls (I am unsure of the type of creature that the skulls would have come from, but they were much too large to be human skulls) that glow with that same green light. Oddly, day and night seem to have no meaning to the residents of the camp. There was no change in activity from one to the other. I suppose that is one advantage to undead troops.
The troops inside of the Post are quite formidable. The two primary guards are large skeletal warriors (represented by an X on the map) that move with great fluidity and giant black dogs (marked with a D on the map). On my last trip into the Post, I was spotted while trying to sneak further inside the temple and attacked by these dogs. Their hides are extremely thick – my weapons could not penetrate deeply enough to cause them harm. In addition, they are supernaturally fast, and I was not completely successful in avoiding their attacks. It’s hard to describe the sensation that accompanies their bite, but it feels as though they have the power to suck your soul from your body, bit by bit. It is an awful feeling and we will likely need to secure some sort of protection against that dark magic if we are to successfully retake the post.
The temple has, as you might have expected, been desecrated. The smell alone is nearly enough to bring you to your knees, and a host of men and beasts prowl its once-hallowed halls. It is far better guarded than the pathways and I was only able to see small portions of it before attracting attention. It is safe to say that the effort required to successfully retake the post will be nothing compared t o the challenge of retaking the temple.
In order to have the freedom I needed to enter the post undetected, I was forced to eliminate a sentry group. I felt no compulsion to challenge them honorably, thus the human died before he knew I was about. The zombies, though resilient, presented little threat and were easily defeated. They made no attempt to warn others. Originally, I thought the human with the sentries was some sort of wizard (as he wore a long, brown robe instead of armor), but in searching the corpse, I found two things: 1) several scrolls of divine magic (ooc – I made my lore rolls on them) and 2) the holy symbol you should also have in your possession. I do not recognize the markings on it, but it does not appear to be a Banite symbol. Also, and this might sound strange, but I don’t think it liked me. It writhed in my grasp and made me feel sick to hold it. Over time, that sensation has dulled considerably.
Strangely, it does not appear that the enemy has made any attempts at further fortifying the post. Perhaps they simply feel they can rely on the strength of their troops (which is considerable) to deflect any attacks.
Finally, though it pains me to say it, I could find no evidence of living slaves in the compound. I was not able to plumb the depths of every building, so it is possible they still live. But I do not hold out hope.
I regret that I was unable to gain more information and that I was discovered. It is my hope that does not prompt them to completely change troop disposition. I await your further orders.
Sincerely,
Adept Jennilyn Greyhollow
(Hold Goodman appears courtesy of richardleitch5 enterprises, a subsidiary of Hold’s player. All rights reserved.)