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[Vacio]

((Vas'nox could go through the floor and appear behind them to cut off escape and then drain their lifeforce.)) I'll be posting my actions after work.

[Demonic Spoon]

'Wretches! Snakes!' Maelocht spat. The writing on his body flared with red light, giving his entire form an otherworldy glow. He rushed forward, screaming Words of command and paralysis. 'You will not have her!'

Prevent escape physically and with spoken Words of power. Seize the empress for myself; if needed, fight any of the other Kings for her.

((I'm not sure how to convey this IC but I'm not planning on keeping her for myself, would cause needless enmity with the other kings, I just don't want her to slip from our clutches))
If the situation turns out so that Maelocht would fight me to claim the Empress, I say the following
"Calm yourself Maelocht the Blue! I am merely keeping a hold of her until we have a handle on the situation. If you were to secure her to my satisfaction, I will let go of her."

[Digital Hellhound]

((Heh, Maelocht will not believe just words, though. He's a bit possessive. By the way, Irony, how much Power and such do we actually have right now? Did I miss it somewhere?))

[Demonic Spoon]

((Heh, Maelocht will not believe just words, though. He's a bit possessive. By the way, Irony, how much Power and such do we actually have right now? Did I miss it somewhere?))

((Should be twenty power going by the OP? If you're going to use power to ensure the empress is secured I'll cancel my action of trying to catch her myself.))

[IronyOwl]

Block whatever exit the empress and retinue are going for. Maybe even with magically raised walls?

You try to raise walls, but find the ground unusually... thick, you suppose? It's probably magical or magically-aligned, in any case; it resists your call.

So you simply charge, gaining on the pair until Maelocht reaches and disables them first.

I let Cacio go.

"Very good. I will take you on as a retainer Cacio. Continue providing satisfactory service and you may receive further rewards."

...the Empress seems to be the actual official ruler with at least some authority, and without her the armies might not obey us. None of the rest of this mess of incompetents seem to have much knowledge or involvement in military matters. I lunge into sudden motion, attempting to intercept her escape, hoping to physically capture the Empress myself, entangling her in my coils. If necessary, use her as a hostage to prevent her guards from attacking me.

If possible, use two power on each category for this action (focus, strength, cost)

I then move to block one of the exits not blocked by the other kings, if I was successful, if not, continue the chase.

"My fellow kings! Until we have a clearer understanding of the situation, it is imperative that we don't allow this mess of incompetents to wander around freely causing more problems! Please help to block off all the exits from the chamber!"

I then call Cacio over to me again. "Are there any generals in here or are they all outside actually making themselves useful and holding off the invaders? Are the Caci literal or metaphorical slugs?"

"Ohthank you! I'm sure this will be very profitable for the both of us!

Erm... I believe... Sordo, Melk, aaaaand... Jaha... Possis, did she come? I don't see her... Luku might be..."[/quote]

He points around at various individuals whilst naming them.

'Wretches! Snakes!' Maelocht spat. The writing on his body flared with red light, giving his entire form an otherworldy glow. He rushed forward, screaming Words of command and paralysis. 'You will not have her!'

Prevent escape physically and with spoken Words of power. Seize the empress for myself; if needed, fight any of the other Kings for her.

The Empress-thief collapses and you seize her, clutching her possessively as the elephantaur catches up with you.

Yours.

((Heh, Maelocht will not believe just words, though. He's a bit possessive. By the way, Irony, how much Power and such do we actually have right now? Did I miss it somewhere?))

((Formally you should have:

20/20 Power
5 To-Be-Determined Virtues (this would be done by now but sloth)
Probably Two Traits (Virtue selection should help this)

Plus backstory-related skills and perceptions, like Otu noticing the make of the weapons and Harry concluding he was surrounded by starving vultures. Or Words of Power, magical wall erection, and shadow shields.))

[Demonic Spoon]

"Very good. Estekath, call the generals over would you?"

I say as I continue to block one of the exits. Pretty useless if the other kings didn't co-operate, which I hoped they would soon, or I'd look rather silly.

[IronyOwl]

"Very good. Estekath, call the generals over would you? I'd like to find out what the actual military situation is if possible"

"As you wish."

Sharp-eyed as ever, it takes him no time at all to gather all of the individuals your new minion was wildly pointing at and then some, soon producing a gaggle of seven mortals in front of you. Estekath introduces them as:

Sordo Altaris. Infantry commander, supposedly highly esteemed.
Melk the Bastard. Not from a noble family, hence the name.
Jaha Coldfront. Former sailor.
Luku Wilmwek. Amphibious specialist.
Kari Molan. Archer.
Briel Blueberry. Some sort of specialist combat mage, and bearing a more traditional combat mage name.
Oris Filker. Infantry.

"As a word of caution, sir, we do not yet know their quality. It may be that they are generals in rank but not skill."

[Digital Hellhound]

((Well, Power didn't prove necessary so yay.))

Maelocht slammed a foot down on the thief's back and drew the empress close to his chest, brushing a hand against her hair like one might with a pet. His eyes swung wildly around the room, glaring at the mortals and the hydra.

'There we go, dear one,' he whispered in the young ruler's ear. He eased his hold a little, though his grip was still firm on the woman's arm. 'Your traitors dealt with. Or, well, perhaps not yet. If you think them worth punishing - if not for attacking you just now, then for past crimes - only say the word. Those who are in the way of the city's salvation will suffer for it.'

Maelocht eyed the mortals. 'Perhaps, empress, you would like to tell your guards to stand down and let us be out of this place, so we may speak in peace.'

---

((Out of, err, curiosity, how long would it take me to write words of the Flesh Cant on someone? Say, Words of Obedience, a favorite of Maelocht's? I assume it'll also take Power, of course.))

[Demonic Spoon]

Keeping a curious eye on the the reaction of the Empress's guards to her being snatched up my Maelocht, I consider the generals before me. Melk seemed the most likely to have actual skill, since he didn't have a noble title to rely on to propel him through the ranks.

Calling up some favours, I awaken another two of my fellow heads, so I can carry out multiple lines of questioning at the same time.

"Melk, what can you tell me of our current situation? What is the size of the enemy forces? Their general quality and equipment? Do you believe it is feasible to break up their alliance so they will fight each other over their prize before they actually take Miraga?"

"Jaha, does Miraga have a harbour? If so, is it being blockaded by the enemy?"

"Kari, how are we holding out on arrows? How many archers are within Miraga's army?"

"Briel, do you know anything of the gods that have apparently been summoned, or is this outside your area of expertise? How many combat mages does Miraga possess?"

"Sordo, Oris, how is the morale of the men? What is their general level of training and equipment? Can they fight in formation, is their equipment standardised? Anything else you think I should know?"

[Knight Otu]

Phor Yevell takes a good look at the assembled generals. How do they carry themselves, have any of them previously made themselves noticeable, do they have obvious power?

Also, can Phor ascertain the nature of the ground's resistance, perhaps analyze it to circumvent or utilize it?

[IronyOwl]

((Well, Power didn't prove necessary so yay.))

Maelocht slammed a foot down on the thief's back and drew the empress close to his chest, brushing a hand against her hair like one might with a pet. His eyes swung wildly around the room, glaring at the mortals and the hydra.

'There we go, dear one,' he whispered in the young ruler's ear. He eased his hold a little, though his grip was still firm on the woman's arm. 'Your traitors dealt with. Or, well, perhaps not yet. If you think them worth punishing - if not for attacking you just now, then for past crimes - only say the word. Those who are in the way of the city's salvation will suffer for it.'

Maelocht eyed the mortals. 'Perhaps, empress, you would like to tell your guards to stand down and let us be out of this place, so we may speak in peace.'

---

((Out of, err, curiosity, how long would it take me to write words of the Flesh Cant on someone? Say, Words of Obedience, a favorite of Maelocht's? I assume it'll also take Power, of course.))

((Depends on the strength of the enchantment and depth of the inscription. Possibly also the subject; a hero might take as much time as a gaggle of peasants, for instance.

In general, though, you're looking at a few hours for moderate strength stuff, less for quick fixes and more for deeper incantations.))

She nods.

"Please leave us be."

The guards comply, suspiciously but without hesitation.

Keeping a curious eye on the the reaction of the Empress's guards to her being snatched up my Maelocht, I consider the generals before me. Melk seemed the most likely to have actual skill, since he didn't have a noble title to rely on to propel him through the ranks.

Calling up some favours, I awaken another two of my fellow heads, so I can carry out multiple lines of questioning at the same time.

"Melk, what can you tell me of our current situation? What is the size of the enemy forces? Their general quality and equipment? Do you believe it is feasible to break up their alliance so they will fight each other over their prize before they actually take Miraga?"

"Jaha, does Miraga have a harbour? If so, is it being blockaded by the enemy?"

"Kari, how are we holding out on arrows? How many archers are within Miraga's army?"

"Briel, do you know anything of the gods that have apparently been summoned, or is this outside your area of expertise? How many combat mages does Miraga possess?"

"Sordo, Oris, how is the morale of the men? What is their general level of training and equipment? Can they fight in formation, is their equipment standardised? Anything else you think I should know?"

Melk: "Weeeeeell, 'sfar 'sIknow the slugs are bribing the pips and that's about the end of their 'alliance.' Pips'd be the pixies up north, pirates usin' magic powder tubes. Think a wand held like a crossbow, works basically like the latter. Anyway, they're real greedy and opportunistic, but the slugs pay 'em extra to take captives.

Slugs are what he called the Caci, they're real pieces of work. Take prisoners often as they can, never get taken if they can help it. Bit a bad blood back when high n mighty nobles used to eat em, so now they're a zealot horde. Would be more dangerous but they keep stringing themselves out trying to break the walls now, from what I hear. No negotiating with them, 'sfar as I've heard they poker out the fun bits so they can't be taken captive and bred again.

Slags to the west, just thieves. Took over the mines and the out of city forges, got some golems warmed up. Not much for a fight, but they've got the hardware for it. General Nock mostly just bribes them out of attacking, neither really wants a fight.

Orgy's the big one. Lotsa groups lumped together, got sick of canceled deals and raids, decided to send an army up. Huge, but most of them don't actually wanna fight, so they're just camped outside trying to figure out where to go from here.

Our gear's all outdated from neglect and graft, so no real contest there. The Generals manage to twist everyone's arms to get some stuff, but even then most of it's for them personally and gets lost on the way anyway."

Jaha: "Well... yes and no. The city proper is landbound, but there's a harbor not far from it... but that's held by the Caci, terrible things. More infested than blockaded, I fear."

Kari: "Our arrows are fine, and our army contains many fine archers."

Briel: "I know quite a bit.

Pulsing Maw is our esteemed Goddess of Earth. She is implacable and calm.

Writhing Eye is our esteemed God of Water. He is flexible and supportive.

Shrieking Wing is our esteemed Goddess of Air. She is adventurous and charismatic.

Hissing Stinger is our God of Fire. He is determined and passionate.

They were summoned and feasted upon the unworthy, so we had to withdraw to the center of the city. They now slumber in the corners, preventing access by friend or foe.

Alas, ours is a dying art. We have almost none left, save for a few noble souls such as myself."

Sordo & Oris: "Our forces are the finest in the world! However, they're riven with traitors and suffering from severe shortages of everything. As well, some of our Generals are more up to snuff than others."

Phor Yevell takes a good look at the assembled generals. How do they carry themselves, have any of them previously made themselves noticeable, do they have obvious power?

Also, can Phor ascertain the nature of the ground's resistance, perhaps analyze it to circumvent or utilize it?

Sordo looks overstuffed but somewhat competent.
Melk is a talented and enthusiastic throatcutter.
Jaha's a sailor, but that's about as much as you can tell.
Luku looks like a clown.
Kari looks like the kind of armchair clown that functions just great so long as the enemy doesn't move or act.
Briel looks like an extravagant dabbler in prestigious arts.
Oris looks like actual infantry, but you're not entirely sure if he should be leading larger forces.

The ground, after some investigation, appears to be enchanted or otherwise altered to self-repair and resist alteration. It's also, you notice, one solid piece; score lines give the illusion of massive tiles, but the whole floor and walls here- probably the ceiling as well- are a single conjoined piece of stone.

[Demonic Spoon]

The owed favours quickly expended, the two heads happily return to sleep, leaving only me and my two companions to muddle through our wretched quota.

I address Kira, disdain clearly evident, "I see. You may go now."

Meanwhile another head is speaking to Jaha and then Luku, "Very well. We may have things to discuss with you at a later date, but that is all for now, thank you. Luku, I also believe that I do not have anything to talk about with you currently, thank you for your time."

I listen to Melk's summary with interest. Certainly informative, but still I cannot help but slightly click my tongue in mild annoyance. "Can you roughly estimate how the strength of each of the different forces compares with what we have available? And how large each army roughly is? How are they equipped in terms siege weaponry? Perhaps the pixies-"

I cut off mid-sentence, fatigue finally overtaking me as I slip into the comforting embrace of sleep, my quota fulfilled or close enough. Another head wakes up and resumes the sentence near seamlessly,

"-possess some up-scaled magic tubes?

Do you know any further details on the canceled deals and the like with the Orgy?"

"Briel, can you expand on that? How were the gods summoned, and how could we theoretically remove their physical presence from the city once they are no longer needed?"

I stare at Sordo and Oris somewhat doubtfully. Perhaps talking to both of them together was a mistake. I would try to get more out of them later.

[Knight Otu]

Phor frowns, and motions to General Sordo, as it seems that the hydra seems to focus on Melk and Briel. "Did I understand that right? Those 'slags' are being bribed repeatedly, rather than once? If they truly don't want a fight, why is there a need for repeated bribes to keep them out of the fight anyway? They sound like a drain of our resources, which get funnelled right back to the enemies. How long has that gone on?"

And the people apparently have demonized their enemies so much, it seems many are believing their own propaganda. That works well for the simple troops, but in generals that is just stupid.

[Harry Baldman]

Sammacle looks to the side, rolling his eyes at Maelocht's continued efforts at obtaining the Empress for himself, and keeping an eager ear out for the people talking to Markosl. For a short while he just half-listens to what these people are telling him, though still seems to be picking them periodically.

"Don't hog the Empress, tattoo man! And don't go anywhere, either!" he calls out from afar toward the very image of friendliness visible in the distance.

He then looks back at the assembly.

Resume listening to what these people are telling me as per the procedure.

[micelus]

Search the crowd for any priests. Question them on their gods thoroughly, especially as to their origins. If none are found, speak to the same  noble I grabbed and ask her this:

"Tell me, what was the economy of the city before the siege began. Also explain to me truthfully, how do the poor of the city fare? I will know your lies should they be spoken child; answer wisely."