"What deal it or the other fiends have made to be here." Loane suggests. She takes a step away from the somewhat raised creature, her attention going between it and Toc. "Where their, the Regiment's, man is. How many more forces they have. Names, if we want to ask for any of them. Especially something about this wizard that should be dead."

 "Yes," agreed Mirica too, "how they get here, their plans, and who Adlas Sodhese really is."

     Fianna cannot help but have a slight smile with the ending of the things life.  She doesn't think of herself as particularly bloodthirsty but some creatures are just abominations of nature and should not be allowed to continue their evil ways...  She turns to Sergeant Coon and says "We're the Cavalry.  We're here to save the day..." and gives him a charming wink.  Persuasion 16

     "I can ask the..." Fianna starts to say at the same time as Toc, but gives way to him.  From the sound of it his interrogation ability is a bit more helpful than her own anyway so she merely nods in approval.  "That scrying bit is interesting to keep in mind but it seems best to wait and see the answers received before considering it," Fianna says, then discusses possible questions with the others.

((Questions in PM as I don't know if we want to rp out the whole deciding on questions process...))

Toc nods, and begins making inquires.  He seems to focus within himself.  He looks up with cold eyes. "Aldlas Sodhese...according to this demon at least...is alive and was his master. The demon, along with drow, orcs and dragon, was attempting to kill the 22nd Squad to prevent them from telling anyone that he was alive again. He has turned his prison tomb, within the ruins of Myth Drannor, into his headquarters. There is no spy amongst the 22nd, they have been trailing the 22nd with Quasits. Their ability to fly and stay invisible make them excellent spies. I have one more question I may ask." 

Sergeant Coon gives a smug grin, "Well, that plan backfired eh? Let 'imself get captured and spilled all the beans."

SilverMark, looking very waspish glances about in the trees, but doesn't say anything.

Wrath, walking back from the 'pulled thread' that still waivers in the air, growls, "We're going to need a way to watch for 'em."

Sergeant Coon, his smug grin vanishing, looks thoughtful, "Hillsfar's job isn't to patrol the whole of Cormanthor, killin dragons and ancient wizards. We'll be reporting in folks, this one's over our pay raise."  He looks thoughtfully around the group, "However...."  He looks meaningfully at the group, "It's a long walk back, could take 3 days or 8, who knows. And the 22nd owes you. Maybe our lives...who can say. But if there's something we can do to help, we're in." 

Jahren says to Toc and the others "perhaps what Aldlas wants?"  "What are his goals?"

Toc nods, and focus' for a moment. "He is securing the ruins, forming alliances with green dragons and other forest denizens, in order to claim dominion over the forest. He follows the whispers of some other fell force."  

As Toc says this last bit, Fianna sees a dark shade sitting at the chess board, a swirl of blackness...rotted flesh peaking out from a slowly swaying rotted cloak, his skeletal hand covered in thin stretched flesh grasping for a bishop.

Toc shrugs, "The demon is gone now, my questions are done."

Jahren asks Sgt Coon "shall we deal with that and find Roz, then worry about what to do next?"  The half elf gestures towards the tear in the weave.

In the short silence that follows, Chen thinks about Coon's offer of help, and then speaks up: This forest is lacking the glory of the fabled stories which brought me here. I would like to see it rid of these demons and all foul folk. I don't know what can be done, but presumably if this Aldlas rises in power it will not only affect Hillsfar, but also Shadowdale and Sembia and all nearby lands. As you say, the whole of Cormanthor is not Hillsfar's duty. But if your superiors can be persuaded to harry Aldlas's minions, and can likewise persuade the kingdoms round about to do the same, this may put enough pressure on his forces that his goals come to naught, or are slowed at least until he can be dealt with.

"Roz? Ah, the soldier. Can we scry for his whereabouts? It might pinpoint the lair." Mirica said it all a bit absentmindedly. "Interesting... "Other fell force"... Some kind of demon lord trying to get into our realm and on the way destroying the barrier? Some god, doing the same? If so, yes, four dragons do look insignificant in comparison." Conclusion probably was not very understandable, but Fianna would know what she meant. "One way or another, we do have to find that Aldlas."

"Agreed. He won't be easy to get to, knowing wizards. And this one has turned his prison into his lair. Toc, you wouldn't happen to know anything more about the tomb he was in, would you? Location or possible traps and the like. It may have changed now, but it's better than going in blind."

Toc nods, "Yes. I know exactly where it is...or at leasts, where it was, within the ruins. Of course, when the shadow city fell upon Myth Drannor....it made it a lot more difficult to pinpoint landmarks, given a mountain had crashed into the earth.  But...still, I'm pretty sure I can find it.  It was indeed near a fountain with a weeping elven maid in it."

Sergeant Coon looks to Jahren, then the tear. Then he looks to Wrath, "Can you take care of that?"  

Wrath looks up with a frown, "When they have that reddish hue it's Evocation...I think.."  He looks to SilverMark, "All yours Silver." 

SilverMark nods, and walks closer.  He raises his hand and casts a spell.  Magic missiles seem to dart towards it, but before they strike it, the darts vanish with a shimmer and the thread pulses.  He sighs, and casts the same spell again.  Once again the thread 'absorbs' the magic. He curses, and casts another spell, a blast of fire rips from his hands and flies at the space exploding into a blast of flame in the sky, but the flame gets sucked into the thread and the thread seems to straighten out and with a bright flash it's gone.  "Some of them are a bit stubborn," he mutters, mostly to himself. 

The Sergeant nods in a business like fashion and turns to the group, "If you have magic that can track down Roz, we'd appreciate it."

SilverMark says, "Just a moment."  He closes his eyes, casting a spell.  "I just sent him a message. He replied. He's conscious. He's been captured and they brought him back to the ruins of the Elven Court...the...ahh..old one. He's being held there in a building. I let him know he should open himself up to a sensing spell in case we decide we are going to scry upon him." 

     "Chess.  It is all chess." Fianna says softly at first, before speaking more confidently.  "Not in the game sense, but in the strategy, planning ahead, willing to sacrifice if it leads to an advantage down the line.  I can only just...  sense the players.  Vague images of them at the board.  I think... I fear... They are too powerful for me to really comprehend.  Occasionally I get a fleeting glimpse of the board.  Not that I could figure out the real world moves based on these images in my head even if I had a lifetime to study the board.  It's like someone is trying to give me hints, but in the abstract.  Theoretically.  Not very helpfully, I'm afraid..."  She looks around and sees many eyes looking at her, can tell they don't really get what she is saying, probably think she is nuts.  Fianna shrugs and dismisses the thoughts, they're not really that helpful at the moment.

     "I could Scry after your man but it's not always that helpful.  Most like I would just see the room he is in and no more, not exactly a guiding star to his location.  But we know he is in the Elven Court and Toc and I are familiar with the area.  But if anyone has a locating spell...?" She pauses and looks around at the casters.

     When she gets a chance, Fianna will try to catch Wrath for a word.  "You made mention that the reddish hue indicated it takes an Evocation spell to heal the tear.  Do you have a list of hues and what heals them you wouldn't mind sharing?  I am not sure what the tears are but they don't seem to bode well.  I would like to close them as quickly as possibly, if I can."

"Do hope we are just closing the tears and not feeding something on the other side of them. That they can suck up the magic from magical items .... that bothersome." She shook her head but then asked: "So, how do you propose we save Raz? Just walk in and ask nicely?"

"We can be quite stealthy, fly, teleport, etc., so what concerns me is their own magical wards, not so much orcs and the like guarding him."

"Magical wards wouldn't be surprising. We could try and trick them, though, fittingly, it would be tricky to do. You all are rather capable magic users, so we have options, and more importantly, flexibility in what we do."

While the group discusses options, Wrath and Fianna have a quiet side chat about the 'pulled threads' as they're called.  He explains each of the 8 colors that represent the traditional 8 schools of magic that the threads are generally aligned with.  "If you get within about 30 feet, you start feeling compelled to cast a spell, or stick a magic item in it. They want to be healed....whatever is weakening them and causing them to tear is an assault on the very fabric of magic." 

Toc looks to the group, "So then, is our first task to scout out the location? Are we seven doing it ourselves, or are we working with the 22nd?  Maybe if FinFin is up for it, with some magic to conceal her? Is that our goal? Also, let me say, for the next couple hours I'll be watching the area for any invisible foes." 

I makes sense to coordinate with the regiment, says Chen through a mouthful of nuts and berries. They have an interest in rescuing Roz, and we might as well work together.

"Besides, a cavalry in the bushes never hurts," agreed Mirica curiously watch Chen, who carelessly binging on local flora. (what time of the year it is? :) ) 

"At the very least we don't want to get in each other's way." Loane pauses, noticing Chen chowing down. "That's all from what you brought, right?"

     “They’ve more an interesting than us, I’d think. But I think it behooves is to assist them...  Behooves, I like that word...  behooves...  behooves,” Fianna says, getting lost in her various pronunciations of the word for a moment.

     “Of course FinFin will help!  Happy to play about, aren’t you?” She asks while petting underneath their jawline.  “I could give FinFin the Seeming of a mosquito or a fly perhaps... Be a little less noticeable that way...”

     Fianna suggests the group and the 22nd should approach the Elven Court while FinFin scouts for a safe approach and then a possible location of the captive.  Perhaps the group should be a bit in front, for stealth purposes... But the 22nd May be needed.