Seeing that Varielky has acquiesced Auger chooses not to continue pressing the point, though he does nod to Ednyss and Granophyre thankfully. Varielky's bravery is so impressive but, as he thinks about his own recent adventure, not all matters can be solved with swords.

"Granophyre," Auger asks, "I believe many of your skills will be required to ensure our success. Most of my own magic is... not subtle, but your capacity to make things invisible and to levitate us will be invaluable if we are to make a stealthy exit. And once we succeed, we can continue on to the Vale, to our original goal and," Auger nods towards the Azhvuv, "to free a Queen. Your loss is real and I feel your pain. Can you give these quests your full attention, or will you need time?"

Granophyre turns to Auger with empty eyes, and, shaking slightly, seemingly decades older and more fragile than only a few days ago, the scholar replies after a long moment, his flat voice betraying deeply conflicting emotions under the surface.

“I will do what I can to save La Cass.”

Izilmeddur then speaks, focusing on Varielky. “To be clear, our part in this action is to assist in the rescue of your friend. Not the destruction of the orcs.”

She passes a hand over the round table, and the drawings made upon it flatten out and return to smooth soil. She brings you to an antechamber within the tall front gate to the castle, and ethereal castle staff bring you Shian women’s robes and head scarves. Your weapons and shields are packed upon the four Azhvuv’s backs, and your hands lightly bound in a way any of you can escape instantly. They look very convincing, the knots.

(OOC: Please post today anything you wish to accomplish before leaving.)

Auger makes sure his clothes and particularly his new coat are completely covered with the Shian women's robes and he asks Py for a second opinion on the matter.

Py, will this actually fool anyone?

Then it comes to settling Py and a long discussion ensues. They eventually agree that Py should stay in the Sea of Stars and that Auger would summon the fey once they were in the town and could benefit from its help.

Finally Auger sees the Azhvuv take weapons and shields but wonders about the other equipment in his pack. He still has his Thuya wood and all of his treasured carving and carpentry tools. And a few rations, a bedroll and so forth. Auger says to Izilmeddur, "Perhaps the Orcs would think we are forced to carry your equipment if we kept our things on our backs?"

Izilmeddur answers Auger. "It is not their way. Woman captives are not slaves. The orcs carry home the spoils of war. You may carry your own packs until we are close."

Py says that the Azhvuv are experts at disguise, in his opinion. 

Ednyss has no further preparation and will save his conversation with Granophyre until they are on the road, where he can speak away from the Azhvuv. As a result, he notes Granophyre's conflicted emotions but has nothing further to add to the discussion or preparation.

(OOC: Ednyss would have prepared a slightly different spell list than he usually keeps, but that is all updated in the character sheet. Also, I will be keeping the spells that are stored in the Shield of Takal Demesh in the notes for the item from now on, that way the shield can store spells that are not currently prepared.)

POST #7

You set off as dawn breaks behind the castle, and hike at a moderate pace through badlands and plains throughout the day, which is cloudy and brisk. That evening, just as the sun’s last rays splash over the western horizon to color the clouded skies pink and orange, as the nearly full moon begins to rise in the East, you arrive at the edge of the orc lands surrounding Brod Khagkul. A hyena rider trots your way from a guardhouse on the next hill, and both mount and rider are tricked by your disguises. They nod briefly to Izilmeddur for her supposed triumphant return, leading four women to captivity, and the Azhvuv nods back.  

You advance, find a dirt road, and follow it northwest for a mile, then pass through a small wood and emerge to see the town below and before you, dusty, smelly, and home to two thousand orcs.

Down the path you go, toward the Moon Gate. Guards with crossbows in the nearest towers look up as you pass through the gate, outside of which another crossbowwoman is  lighting lanterns to cast light on visitors. When her task is done, she follows you inside, then slams the gates closed and bars them before climbing the tower once more and resuming her long watch. 

You walk up Moon Street, and smell roasted meat, and hear meals underway, many growling arguments, and orc children playing in the streets in the dying light, among them, a few young Jenghen. Their play is rough, brutal, and the smallest ones take a beating. Elder orcs cheer them on, snickering, but also end scuffles when blood is spilled. You pass a chicken fight, a scorpion fight, and two games of dice. Some adults finish their chores as others criticize how they have been done. Many look up as you pass, but none take an interest, except to jeer, laugh cruelly, and make rude gestures and comments in accented Jenghen.

You cross the river, guards with crossbows peeking over the near tower wall to take note. You see a young orc, five or six years old, climb down the tower ladder, run toward you, yip at you — the captives — with a glare, then stop at the first tent to pick up a sack of food which she then carries back up the ladder to the tower.

You keep walking, the Azhvuvs making as if to shove their reluctant captives along, and then you reach the plaza, where Izilmeddur halts suddenly, as do you all. 

At that moment, a troop of riders, leading their hyenas on foot, are passing in front of you, left to right, leaving the plaza and walking down east street toward the east gate. They look at you, glaring at the captives, nodding with approving grunts  to Izilmeddur. One of them waves to her with recognition and shouts something in orcish. She raises a fist in a gesture of victory. The orc who waved shows his yellow teeth in an unkind smile and continues on. 

Behind them, you see the war chief you battled before, Shulong Xurl, and his two Hands, watching the riders, from the entrance to the chief’s enormous tent, behind which you see two huge spires of red rock, like daggers, pointing up at the now-purple clouds and kobalt sky.

Xurl and the Hands then turn slowly and enter the tent, and perhaps it was your good fortune that the hyenas passed at that moment, obscuring you from their view as night falls.

You arrive at the female harem, in front of whose entrance a lamp hangs, giving off light. There are two female orcs standing guard, and they part for the captives. 

But, when the Azhvuv try to follow into the tent, the lead guard brusquely raps a fist on Izilmeddur’s chest, or rather, the chest of the male orc whose appearance she mimics— and the guard glares at Izilmeddur, who glares back. Izilmeddur then steps back to stand in a line with the other Azhvuv just outside the tent, facing the guards, and shielding them from view from passers by. Varielky, Ednyss, Auger, and Granophyre now stand behind the guards, further inside the tent entryway, and Izilmeddur quickly exchanges a glance with you, over the orcs’ shoulders, a glance whose meaning is clear: attack!

Please post Round 1 actions in any order.

(OOC: What is our weapon status. Still on the Azhvuv, correct?)

Quote from Zzozz___ >>

(OOC: What is our weapon status. Still on the Azhvuv, correct?)

 Correct. 

Here is a battle map showing the entrance to the harem tent.

Ednyss frowns as he slowly spins around to face the Orcs at the front of the tent. A low whisper escapes his throat as he says, "I apologize, but a war cannot be won without some strategy and Takal Demesh has placed you on the losing side of this war." With that, he mutters a divine phrase and a spectral shield appears in the narrow space between the Azhvuv and one of the Orc. As the shield bashes backward into the Orc, Ednyss steps up to the Orc and grabs her as she is now pinned between Ednyss and the spectral shield. With a fierce motion, Ednyss also reaches up and smashes his hand into the front of the Orc's mouth so that she cannot make a cry for help.

Auger freezes in place when he sees the signal from Izilmeddur. He has numerous ways to kill Orcs, almost all of them quite loud. Thinking of who he is with and that they are all unarmed Auger wonders if he should attempt to help any of the others. Seeing the potential for creating more risk Auger decides to hold off on taking any action against the Orcs until he can see how to aid his companions. Instead Auger reaches into the Sea of Stars and brings forth Py ahead of them. Find Benita, he sends.

Yes, of course Py replies and then making itself invisible, it flies away to search.

Auger

Py

Varielky tries to follow Ednyss' example, catching the Orc and putting a hand on his mouth. She could probably summon her sword and kill the Orc, but she won't do that. 

Athletics for Grapple: 7.

Round 1

Ednyss’s spectral shield materializes and smashes Orc 2 from above. Taken completely by surprise, she (both guards are female) recoils downwards and back, directly into Ednyss’ waiting chinlock grip. She is grappled and her throat is so constricted she can’t speak.

Varielky advances to Orc 1, who is likewise completely taken by surprise as the shield-maiden’s forearm comes around, clenching her tightly around the neck.

Auger summons Py, which zips ahead.

Granophyre releases a tiny dart he had been holding in his left hand, intones a word of power, and, followed by a thin, shimmering green vapor trail, SssssshP!, it strikes O1 in the forehead. Her eyes glaze over, her muscles lock, and she falls dead. 

Granophyre’s Golden Bird flits out from the scholar’s other hand, and a tight beam of force shoots out from its tiny beak, smashing O2 for 4HP.

Sakinatadla (Azhvuv 3), steps nimby forward as the other three Azhvuv close ranks behind her, and she delivers a devastatingly swift sidekick to O2, for 8HP damage. The guard crumples.

The combat has taken place quickly and silently, and both guards are now down.

Py has made it into the next room in the tent, after slipping his way carefully through a curtain.‘There are many women eating in here,’ he messages to Auger.

Izilmeddur quietly indicates that she and her sisters will handle the guards’ bodies, and that you should all go inside. They shrug off their bags, and you can quickly take your things.

You are now situated like so.

(Ednyss’ spiritual weapon can remain with him for the time being.)

Auger steps forward and grabs his things, but stays in his women's robes for now.

Py, are there any guards in there?

Auger asks everyone to pause before heading in while relaying whatever Py can tell them about the harem. With Auger's instruction, Py moves around through the area, looking at the area around L3 (OOC: do those doors represent cages?) in particular before examining the eating women.

Ednyss waits while Auger sends Py in to do some investigating. Meanwhile, he quickly grabs his pack and straps on his shield and War Pick.

Py sends back, ‘They are not cages, it is a pantry or kitchen food storage. There are women cooking over there, and then several dozen are eating at the tables or sewing. I do not see any guards in this room, and I do not see Benita. I am going into the next area. There is another partition which I must <oof> crawl under. In here, there seem to be many individual rooms separated by tent-walls made of various animal skins. 

Two minutes have passed and Ednyss’ spiritual weapon disappears.

In the meantime, you see that two of the Azhvuv, Sakinatadla and Tagwerramt, have altered their appearances to match the two female guards whom you just overcame, though the match in both cases is not as perfect as before. Apparently, there are limits to their powers of disguise. However, they are still convincing and wear their scarves high as the temperature begins to drop. The pair step forward to the tent’s entryway to cover for Izilmeddur and Lunja, who,  pulling the dead guards with them in sacks they have brought for the purpose, melt into the shadows around the side of the tent. “We will wait. Be quick,” comes Izilmeddur’s voice, like a desert breeze.

Orcs, minding their own business or bickering, or laughing cruelly, and some slaves carrying messages, heads down, pass in the plaza. So far, you seem to be unnoticed.

Stay put Py, we are coming.

To the others Auger says, "Py has not found her, we should head in and go straight through a curtain to the left which may be where she is located. Then we can split up and look for her in individual rooms." With that stated, Auger looks at the activities of the Azhvuv, nods his head, and is momentarily distracted as he thinks about all the death in his life now. Pulling up his own scarf to ensure his face is not viewable, Auger moves into the tent and tries to make his way as he stated, without drawing undue attention.

Varielky quietly follows the others, but she's not really paying attention. Granophye killed the Orc. He killed the Orc woman that Varielky was holding. The Orc that Varielky surprised and grappled, preventing a fair fight. Izilmeddur said they won't kill the guards, yet they have. Varielky is shaken. What has she done? She keeps following the others quietly.

Auger, Ednyss, Varielky and Granophyre enter the harem’s common room, a large area with low tables surrounded by hay bales for sitting upon. Work tables to the right are being used for food preparation, while the women begin to take their evening meal. As you pause at the entry way to get your bearings, conversation stops as one by one, the women notice new faces. Then, an older woman, human, built like a stone tablet, rectangular, with strong forearms, comes around the corner from the pantry, looks at you, scowls deeply, and hands what she was carrying, a bag of flour, to another old, thin woman next to her, who takes the flour, and, head down, brings it over to the food area, where she plops it next to a large pot of boiling water which is warming up the tent’s interior. She begins to mix the flour with globs of pork fat and plop balls of it into the water.

The rectangle woman stands akimbo, glaring at you as you form into a line facing her.

“NEW BLOOD,” she says, firmly, and all in the room take note of what she says. “Well, don’t just stand there gawkin’. Orcs don’t like the skinny ones. You better off, eat your fill.”

Then, she notices the weapons and shields. “WHATTHEFLOCKTHIS…” She takes a step back. “You, you put those weapons down ‘fore Backhary and Grizzmuff show ya how they use ‘em, cut you hand off. QUICK.”

She’s trying unsuccessfully to peer past you, around the corner of the entryway to the guards, and Ednyss notes, this is more out of fear of reprisal than fear of you four.

Before entering the room, Granophyre whispers to Varielky, “I see your remorse. Do not worry: although the dart’s effects look deadly, she was merely paralyzed and I stabilized the other one. Both guards will awaken in a few hours.”