“I have heard enough”, Rum says breaking his silence, having seen all he needed to.
“Lelith, you are a self-centred, petty, vindictive and sadistic person”, he says matter of factly as he walks towards her and Ro, still poised in their stand off.
“You are well versed in rhetoric, and we have seen you wield the spoken word with power and authority. But behind those words there seems to be nothing, no substance to back them up. It is as if there is nought but ice running through your veins. Is that really true of all your kind, I hope not”.
“I do not know why you were called, or why you answered. Perhaps the Childlike Empress thought to fight fire with fire. But you do not stand for the principles of the Twilight Embers, not as I see them. Our purpose is to help the people, saving the world for them. And yes, part of our overarching mission is to give people hope”, he says pointing at the old elf and his family.
“You sheath that sword and fix this. Or you may as well use that Amulet of yours and go home, because if the people of this world see the heroes as just as bad as the villains, we have all lost. And by the might of the Great Dragon, I do not accept that!”, he says to her finally, taking up a position next to Ro.
Ro listened as the old man spoke, still keeping himself between the elder and Lelith. After the elder concluded his statement, Ro listened to Rum speak and watched as the tabaxi took to his side. Finally, the elf-dwarf spoke again addressing Lelith.
"I don't want to attack you, Lelith, but I will defend these people. Whether that be from the lurking dead or my own friend is up to you. I know you have made sacrifices to be here and have greatly invested your time and effort to protect this realm; all of us have. However, that does not earn any of us some twisted right to force our will upon others. We are here to protect these people, something you seem to take pride in initiating before any of us. But then why is your back to the enemy while your sword drawn against these people? If your sense of pride and authority takes precedence over the wellbeing of these people, then I've no time for pettiness."
The elf-dwarf continues to stare down Lelith, the sharpness in his eyes begin to round out as he extends out a welcoming hand to receive her, "There may still be chance to make this right. Show me why the late Childlike Empress selected you to be one of the realm's heroes, Lelith. Why she would, in all her wisdom and foresight, entrust the realm and its people's future to you?"
"Fools. I will not help people that do not want to help themselves and instead seek to provoke those that would lend a hand. I am perfectly willing to help, my very presence here in this ranch and realm proves that. My temper may be short, but I do not seek conflict with those that I intend to help unless I am given reason to," Lelith shook her head at the gathered people here in contempt as they held hands. "There are two kinds of arrogance. One where you are unequal to the task and one where yours dreams are far too big. The former is commonplace stupidity, and the latter ends when the dreamer is awakened to reality. The scared old elf has nothing to prove to me for I seek nothing in him, in the first place."
"Heroes? A world to be saved? Giving people happiness and hope? We were being absurd it seems. Mortals are /animals/ that cannot find joy in life without sacrifice. Let them drive their point in unity while they choke in their own blood in this lonely desolate ranch that would soon be surrounded on all sides. They will only understand my words in their final moments, at the cusp of despair." Lelith sheathed her rapier sullenly, her head poised high and with Sorry in her hand. She simply left the Ranch and back to where they were last gathered before coming here. She will wait here for her companions, whether they decided to stay to help the ungrateful gnats or gave up on them.
Greko popps his head out and smiles at his friends. “You’re doing great! The baby is almost here! Greko gave momma herb to speed up contraction. Any minute now!”
"Master Elf, I apologise for not yet knowing your name", Rum says after Lelith stalks away with Sorry. At least some good was coming from this, if Sorry was removed from danger. Of course was she truly removed from danger alone with Lelith?
"I understand if you are still of the opinion that you wish us all gone, but know that she does not speak or act on behalf of us all, and that we still wish to be of help. And it seems friend Greko is having some joy helping your pregnant friend", he continues.
He places his fist over his heart and bows his head to the old elf and those around him, and then turns to Ro.
"You should see the horde for yourself, friend Ro", he says, then looks around for Oten and Tuto. "Perhaps under the circumstance we should all take a look, although time is growing short?".
"I would still like to attempt to divert their path, maybe lead them towards the Nothing if we can, or find what is controlling them. Maybe if we circle around it?".
Oten can be seen hustling to and fro assisting with the fortifications. He spots Ro and Rum speaking and makes his way over."What's this about a plan to divert them? I've done the best I can to help fortify this places defences, but I am not optimistic about us holding out for long here."
Ro watches as Lelith and Sorry walk off. He thought to stop the two, of fear that they themselves would run into the horde, but he decided against it. There was little he could say that would get to Lelith, and Ro was not going to waste anymore time on that matter. The elf-dwarf slapped both of his cheeks twice to help himself switch gears. He listens to Rum's suggestion on observing the horde and agrees, "Yes, let us take a look at what we are dealing with. Lead the way, friend."
"Ok, let's grab Greko and go, fellow Embers. Try and be quiet, although the horde are noisy and are unlikely to be aware of our presence it does not hurt to be careful", Rum advises.
"Also, friend Ro, are you able to send your bird to scout for other creatures behind the horde that may be controlling them?", he asks.
He knocks on the door of the house Greko is in as they make their way out to scout, "Greko, we are moving out, we need to scout and formulate a plan. Best you are with us", he calls through the door.
He waits, making sure Greko either comes or at least replies. He ensures the Embers are all together (with the exception of Lelith at this time), and then leads them out to view the horde.
As they move, he takes a last look at the old elf, nodding to him, hoping they are not so disenchanted with the Twilight Embers that they would evict their mounts as well.
(OOC: Obviously if the Old Elf wants to interact further that would be great, and happy for him to interrupt this)
Greko lifts his head from between the woman in labor's legs and yells "Any minute now! Perhaps Greko can step away and turn this over to Shelly yes?" Greko gets up and allows the old woman Shelly to take over and heads outside "Ho ho look at the work you have done out here. The Twilight Embers are certainly the model of this realm, yes!?" Greko pauses a moment and looks around "Where is Lelith? Scouting ahead no doubt?! What do you need of Greko?"
"Not scouting ahead, friend Greko. She is keeping Sorry safe and keeping an eye on what is behind us", Rum says diplomatically.
"Scouting ahead is what the rest of us are about though, and we should go quickly, we have wasted enough time already. We need to try and find a way to distract the horde, divert it from it's path away from from the Ranch and Kakariko Villlage beyond", he adds as he starts to move out in the direction of the horde, looking to skirt around it to the East.
“Ro said there was an expanse of Nothing between Kakariko and Kings Landing, that should be South East of us I think, friend Greko”, Rum replies, intimating that was his plan.
Greko continues to walk quietly and looks at his friends' faces (Perc nat 20!). He whispers to the group "An expanse of nothing you say.....That is not good for those at King's Landing or our good captain who is set to sail there and pick us up....not good indeed. What is the plan to lead them away? Do Lelith and Sorry have a roll to play or shall I give the undead horde the ole moon?" Greko says trying to lighten the mood, and provide some relief to his friends who he knows are hiding something from him.
“I do not know how we can lead them away, or if Lelith will take some part, I hope so but she had a run in with the ranchers and declined to help”, Rum says in answer to Greko.
”It may be you can use your moon to guide them away, friend Greko”, he adds, assuming it is a part of his powers like his starry form.
”When Lelith and I scouted, we saw the horde was moving slower than necessary trying to stay together. We also saw some creatures that glowed red and gave off a paralysing scream when hurt. The ranchers said they didn’t control the horde though. We need to know what does if we are to divert them. That or cause enough damage to be a threat. Oh, and when Ro’s bird attacked them, they coalesced into a giant arm to try and swat it!”, he whispers to the others as they creep forward to fill them in on what they found previously.
Ro listens as Rum shares information with Greko before adding to the conversation, "I'll have Prim search for any beings that may be controlling the horde. If I'm to examine these undead, I suppose I should be in my best frame in mind. Oten and Greko, would you mind lending me some guidance and assist me with this task?"
Receiving the aid of his allies, Ro gets within a suitable range with Prim. He communicates to her telepathically to circle around the mass of undead; paying attention to those with a red aura and looking around for any beings that seem to be controlling the horde. Once Prim is in position, Ro closes his eyes and taps into his familiar's senses. Getting a bird's eye view of the situation, Ro takes a moment to examine things.
Knowing what the horde has done so far, Ro makes sure to keep his hummingbird clear of the horde as she circles around it. Seeing the horde again, its massive number and all the parts and things that shouldn't be able to move on their own and in the coordinated effort that it is... shoots a dagger of dread down Ro's spine. Even the stench, which they can already almost taste with from where they are standing, sends his stomach churning.
Through Prim's eyes, Ro cannot see anything beyond the horde and has a pretty good sense that they are being preprogrammed the way they are moving. With the help of Greko, Ro is able to concentrate a bit more and comes to the realization that the horde could possibly be getting guidance from a remote source as they go. Though what, he cannot tell. From her vantage point, she can tell they are definitely moving in towards the Ranch though.
Though Ro cannot see or hear his allies by his side, he shares this knowledge with his mates, "It is as you say, Rum. The hoard appears to be following preprogrammed instructions, likely from a remote source. I can't find the source, but it's likely that if we could cut the connection we won't have to deal with a coordinated attack from the undead. Perhaps if I cast Detect Magic, I may get a clue as to where this source may be from. I would have to get much closer to the horde, so perhaps Oten you could cast that one spell you used on me before. Of course, that is only if we go with this plan."
Rum nods along as Ro speaks, an anxious look on feline features.
"As you say, friend Ro. I trust your instincts, just be careful", he replies.
As Ro awaits Oten's help, Rum heads to the area between the ranch and the horde, looking to see if they could maybe divert the horde by means of a fire. One that they could set in a controlled manner to ensure it would not spread to the ranch itself.
He moves quickly, the combination of his feline form and monk training covering allowing him to cover the distance in little time.
Perception: 14+8=22
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“I have heard enough”, Rum says breaking his silence, having seen all he needed to.
“Lelith, you are a self-centred, petty, vindictive and sadistic person”, he says matter of factly as he walks towards her and Ro, still poised in their stand off.
“You are well versed in rhetoric, and we have seen you wield the spoken word with power and authority. But behind those words there seems to be nothing, no substance to back them up. It is as if there is nought but ice running through your veins. Is that really true of all your kind, I hope not”.
“I do not know why you were called, or why you answered. Perhaps the Childlike Empress thought to fight fire with fire. But you do not stand for the principles of the Twilight Embers, not as I see them. Our purpose is to help the people, saving the world for them. And yes, part of our overarching mission is to give people hope”, he says pointing at the old elf and his family.
“You sheath that sword and fix this. Or you may as well use that Amulet of yours and go home, because if the people of this world see the heroes as just as bad as the villains, we have all lost. And by the might of the Great Dragon, I do not accept that!”, he says to her finally, taking up a position next to Ro.
Ro listened as the old man spoke, still keeping himself between the elder and Lelith. After the elder concluded his statement, Ro listened to Rum speak and watched as the tabaxi took to his side. Finally, the elf-dwarf spoke again addressing Lelith.
"I don't want to attack you, Lelith, but I will defend these people. Whether that be from the lurking dead or my own friend is up to you. I know you have made sacrifices to be here and have greatly invested your time and effort to protect this realm; all of us have. However, that does not earn any of us some twisted right to force our will upon others. We are here to protect these people, something you seem to take pride in initiating before any of us. But then why is your back to the enemy while your sword drawn against these people? If your sense of pride and authority takes precedence over the wellbeing of these people, then I've no time for pettiness."
The elf-dwarf continues to stare down Lelith, the sharpness in his eyes begin to round out as he extends out a welcoming hand to receive her, "There may still be chance to make this right. Show me why the late Childlike Empress selected you to be one of the realm's heroes, Lelith. Why she would, in all her wisdom and foresight, entrust the realm and its people's future to you?"
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
"Fools. I will not help people that do not want to help themselves and instead seek to provoke those that would lend a hand. I am perfectly willing to help, my very presence here in this ranch and realm proves that. My temper may be short, but I do not seek conflict with those that I intend to help unless I am given reason to," Lelith shook her head at the gathered people here in contempt as they held hands. "There are two kinds of arrogance. One where you are unequal to the task and one where yours dreams are far too big. The former is commonplace stupidity, and the latter ends when the dreamer is awakened to reality. The scared old elf has nothing to prove to me for I seek nothing in him, in the first place."
"Heroes? A world to be saved? Giving people happiness and hope? We were being absurd it seems. Mortals are /animals/ that cannot find joy in life without sacrifice. Let them drive their point in unity while they choke in their own blood in this lonely desolate ranch that would soon be surrounded on all sides. They will only understand my words in their final moments, at the cusp of despair." Lelith sheathed her rapier sullenly, her head poised high and with Sorry in her hand. She simply left the Ranch and back to where they were last gathered before coming here. She will wait here for her companions, whether they decided to stay to help the ungrateful gnats or gave up on them.
Greko popps his head out and smiles at his friends. “You’re doing great! The baby is almost here! Greko gave momma herb to speed up contraction. Any minute now!”
"Master Elf, I apologise for not yet knowing your name", Rum says after Lelith stalks away with Sorry. At least some good was coming from this, if Sorry was removed from danger. Of course was she truly removed from danger alone with Lelith?
"I understand if you are still of the opinion that you wish us all gone, but know that she does not speak or act on behalf of us all, and that we still wish to be of help. And it seems friend Greko is having some joy helping your pregnant friend", he continues.
He places his fist over his heart and bows his head to the old elf and those around him, and then turns to Ro.
"You should see the horde for yourself, friend Ro", he says, then looks around for Oten and Tuto. "Perhaps under the circumstance we should all take a look, although time is growing short?".
"I would still like to attempt to divert their path, maybe lead them towards the Nothing if we can, or find what is controlling them. Maybe if we circle around it?".
Oten can be seen hustling to and fro assisting with the fortifications. He spots Ro and Rum speaking and makes his way over. "What's this about a plan to divert them? I've done the best I can to help fortify this places defences, but I am not optimistic about us holding out for long here."
“Not a plan, friend Oten, an idea”, Rum replies.
”I was hoping the rest of you can help formulate a plan. You should come and see what we are dealing with”.
Ro watches as Lelith and Sorry walk off. He thought to stop the two, of fear that they themselves would run into the horde, but he decided against it. There was little he could say that would get to Lelith, and Ro was not going to waste anymore time on that matter. The elf-dwarf slapped both of his cheeks twice to help himself switch gears. He listens to Rum's suggestion on observing the horde and agrees, "Yes, let us take a look at what we are dealing with. Lead the way, friend."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
"Ok, let's grab Greko and go, fellow Embers. Try and be quiet, although the horde are noisy and are unlikely to be aware of our presence it does not hurt to be careful", Rum advises.
"Also, friend Ro, are you able to send your bird to scout for other creatures behind the horde that may be controlling them?", he asks.
He knocks on the door of the house Greko is in as they make their way out to scout, "Greko, we are moving out, we need to scout and formulate a plan. Best you are with us", he calls through the door.
He waits, making sure Greko either comes or at least replies. He ensures the Embers are all together (with the exception of Lelith at this time), and then leads them out to view the horde.
As they move, he takes a last look at the old elf, nodding to him, hoping they are not so disenchanted with the Twilight Embers that they would evict their mounts as well.
(OOC: Obviously if the Old Elf wants to interact further that would be great, and happy for him to interrupt this)
Greko lifts his head from between the woman in labor's legs and yells "Any minute now! Perhaps Greko can step away and turn this over to Shelly yes?" Greko gets up and allows the old woman Shelly to take over and heads outside "Ho ho look at the work you have done out here. The Twilight Embers are certainly the model of this realm, yes!?" Greko pauses a moment and looks around "Where is Lelith? Scouting ahead no doubt?! What do you need of Greko?"
"Not scouting ahead, friend Greko. She is keeping Sorry safe and keeping an eye on what is behind us", Rum says diplomatically.
"Scouting ahead is what the rest of us are about though, and we should go quickly, we have wasted enough time already. We need to try and find a way to distract the horde, divert it from it's path away from from the Ranch and Kakariko Villlage beyond", he adds as he starts to move out in the direction of the horde, looking to skirt around it to the East.
Greko follows Rum nodding and understanding the gravity of the situation. "Do we want to force them west to Hyrule Fields or East to the Summer Sea?"
“Ro said there was an expanse of Nothing between Kakariko and Kings Landing, that should be South East of us I think, friend Greko”, Rum replies, intimating that was his plan.
Greko continues to walk quietly and looks at his friends' faces (Perc nat 20!). He whispers to the group "An expanse of nothing you say.....That is not good for those at King's Landing or our good captain who is set to sail there and pick us up....not good indeed. What is the plan to lead them away? Do Lelith and Sorry have a roll to play or shall I give the undead horde the ole moon?" Greko says trying to lighten the mood, and provide some relief to his friends who he knows are hiding something from him.
“I do not know how we can lead them away, or if Lelith will take some part, I hope so but she had a run in with the ranchers and declined to help”, Rum says in answer to Greko.
”It may be you can use your moon to guide them away, friend Greko”, he adds, assuming it is a part of his powers like his starry form.
”When Lelith and I scouted, we saw the horde was moving slower than necessary trying to stay together. We also saw some creatures that glowed red and gave off a paralysing scream when hurt. The ranchers said they didn’t control the horde though. We need to know what does if we are to divert them. That or cause enough damage to be a threat. Oh, and when Ro’s bird attacked them, they coalesced into a giant arm to try and swat it!”, he whispers to the others as they creep forward to fill them in on what they found previously.
Ro listens as Rum shares information with Greko before adding to the conversation, "I'll have Prim search for any beings that may be controlling the horde. If I'm to examine these undead, I suppose I should be in my best frame in mind. Oten and Greko, would you mind lending me some guidance and assist me with this task?"
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Receiving the aid of his allies, Ro gets within a suitable range with Prim. He communicates to her telepathically to circle around the mass of undead; paying attention to those with a red aura and looking around for any beings that seem to be controlling the horde. Once Prim is in position, Ro closes his eyes and taps into his familiar's senses. Getting a bird's eye view of the situation, Ro takes a moment to examine things.
Arcana Check: 18
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Knowing what the horde has done so far, Ro makes sure to keep his hummingbird clear of the horde as she circles around it. Seeing the horde again, its massive number and all the parts and things that shouldn't be able to move on their own and in the coordinated effort that it is... shoots a dagger of dread down Ro's spine. Even the stench, which they can already almost taste with from where they are standing, sends his stomach churning.
Through Prim's eyes, Ro cannot see anything beyond the horde and has a pretty good sense that they are being preprogrammed the way they are moving. With the help of Greko, Ro is able to concentrate a bit more and comes to the realization that the horde could possibly be getting guidance from a remote source as they go. Though what, he cannot tell. From her vantage point, she can tell they are definitely moving in towards the Ranch though.
Though Ro cannot see or hear his allies by his side, he shares this knowledge with his mates, "It is as you say, Rum. The hoard appears to be following preprogrammed instructions, likely from a remote source. I can't find the source, but it's likely that if we could cut the connection we won't have to deal with a coordinated attack from the undead. Perhaps if I cast Detect Magic, I may get a clue as to where this source may be from. I would have to get much closer to the horde, so perhaps Oten you could cast that one spell you used on me before. Of course, that is only if we go with this plan."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Rum nods along as Ro speaks, an anxious look on feline features.
"As you say, friend Ro. I trust your instincts, just be careful", he replies.
As Ro awaits Oten's help, Rum heads to the area between the ranch and the horde, looking to see if they could maybe divert the horde by means of a fire. One that they could set in a controlled manner to ensure it would not spread to the ranch itself.
He moves quickly, the combination of his feline form and monk training covering allowing him to cover the distance in little time.
Perception: 14+8=22