Post by Dead Greyhawk on Jul 4, 2007 21:28:42 GMT -5
Sir Highrider's meetings are interminable. They continue on and on, but Raven and Otto, or at least one of them, rigorously attend while the rest of the Company busies themselves with other duties. Over time, the similar faces of the council become more recognizable, and names attach to them. Some Raven and Otto are familiar with; . Richard Coldheart appears to lead the Keoish army unit and Killain Anvilsplitter the Keepers of the Peace. High Priest Wernack, who is barely tolerated in the council, speaks for all the Temples. Beyond functionaries and aides de camp, the heads of three other mercenary bands, Thomas O'Shaelee, Madeleine von Essell, and Launir Netherander, round out the meetings. None of the mercenaries seem as competent as Otto and Raven would like them to be, but all seem competent enough.
Strategy sessions seem more and more to be listening to Sir Highrider and less and less about developing a new strategy. Sir Highrider's plan is to continue to ship in supplies and reinforcements from across the Javan river and wait for relief to come, either directly from Niole Dra, from Loftwick, or from Flen or Cryllor to the north. So long as Sir Highrider's forces are increasing, he is content to defend. He posits disease and shortness of supply weakening his enemies as they camp in the lands outside of the city.
Both Raven and Otto have doubts about the overall plan, but see no fatal flaw. Raven wonders whether the city's increase in men outweighs the opponent's increase in undead, now that priests have arrived. Otto's questions are more practical, asking in detail about troop strength and placement. Sir Highrider, clearly not pleased to be questioned in his own castle about his strategy, only grudgingly replies.
Sir Highrider snootily informs Otto that the cavalry is essentially no more. Only a hundred trained horses remain, under the control of the Army, and that they will be used to break any enclosed infantry action inside the city. Sir Highrider had been preparing Longspear for combat for months now, hearing the news coming out of Sterich, so most of the merchant guard is armed with crossbows, but they, of course, are the major losses during the siege, as they are exposed on the walls to the enemy fire. Catapults are all but useless, as the giants catch the weapons and use them against the walls, and ballistae, while effective, are primary targets for the giants' boulders.
The relationship between the merchant guards and his direct control is touchy. Sir Highrider could conscript them all into the Keoish army, but they would need to be reorganized and drilled into squads and teams. Without such training, the men would be no better than raw peasant militia. On the other hand, inviting any single merchant family into his coterie of advisors brings dissension from the other families. Inviting all of the families to advise makes meetings unbearable. As it stands, he issues orders to the merchant family heads and, usually, they follow the spirit, if not the letter of them.
Sir Highrider rises into a frothing rage when Otto asks about magical contributions from wizards in the city. Madeleine von Essell and Launir Netherander excuse themselves from the table to get some water while Sir Highrider rants about the infidelity of the Silent One, who has removed himself from battle when the city needs him most. Sir Highrider rants for a good fifteen minutes, turning redder and redder as he does, until all fear he will have an apoplectic seizure. He claims he will raze the Silent One's residence to the ground and petition King Skotti, his cousin, to expel all members of their order. The sight is quite startling.
Launir whispers to Raven over a blueberry scone that wizards are a sore point with Sir Highrider and suggests not raising the issue again. Between Launir's and Madeleine's troops are three wizards capable of the destructive magics of fire and lightning. Besides them, no other battle-class mage has stepped forth. Launir's language is odd, Raven never having heard the phrase "battle-class" used in front of him while he was in the militia, and slightly inflected. Raven files the information away for further contemplation.
After Sir Highrider dismisses his meetings to attend to other things, Otto and Raven hobnob with the three mercenary captains. Thomas O'Shaelee leads a contingent of horse archers, The Red Riders, from the Grand March. His horses are stabled on the other side of the river, under the guard of half his men, but the rest command groups of archers on the walls of the city. Madeleine von Essell hies from Perrenland and leads a corps of spearmen, the Keuzberg Pikes. She confides that several of her men are capable of minor magics and that her main advisor, Kerren Loreweaver, is a mage. Launir Netherander is somewhat evasive in his answers, saying that his small group of men happened to be in the area looking for someone and decided to pitch in. Otto points out that his small group contains two mages, but Launir reminds him that the Company contains three.
Hiking back to the Wheat Field, Raven and Otto discuss whether any of the mercenary groups pose a threat to the Company. Launir seems distressingly well informed about the strength of the Company, and his accent could mark him from the Great Kingdom. Raven reminds Otto that the Company has made its share of enemies from the Great Kingdom when the Company fought under the temple of Gruumsh in Highport. Otto points out that Launir seems to have undercounted Pfiffwin, so perhaps their intelligence is worse than it seems. In either case, Diego and Alouicious can mount a more serious guard, and the Wheat Field seems firmly in the hands of their Colnet allies.
Otto, who has learnt the basics of dweomercraft, Dell and Winthrop, when he is not sequestered with Oaklock, spend hour upon hour investigating the magical items brought back from the glacial rift. The stream of people selling their family heirlooms trickles to a halt, but is a profitable exercise. many requisite pearls are found, purchased and used. The magical items are wide and varied. Some are merely enchanted weapons and armor of a type similar to those found earlier. Others though are more interesting, a horn of summoning barbarian warriors, a hammer of smiting, paints that convey life into the painting, wands of freezing cold, giant-slaying swords, weakening rings that turn one invisible, and a deadly box that holds more than can fit in its volume.
In the midst of all of this, Killain Anvilsplitter sends word to the Company that they are prepared to begin questioning the prisoner, should Dell release him from his amber enchantment. Raven, Diego, Otto, and Dell meet with Killain Anvilsplitter when the prisoner is to be released. The Keepers of the Peace take many precautions against the casting of unholy prayers and surround the statue of the man. Raven warns them that if he is killed, his spirit is unreachable for questioning. Dell takes out the cold-forged mithril circlet dug up out of the ancient tomb and places it on his brow. He stiffens and begins to glance around the room, taking in the look of each person there. He takes the circlet off, and says, "Ready."
When Dell releases his spell, the priest is mobbed by a veritable horde of dwarves who beat the man unconscious. "We'll take it from here," growls Killain. Otto presents a short list of questions to Killain to be certain they are asked. Killain mutters something about not being a servant or a fool.
Several days later, Ged presents Otto with a heavy bundle. "Courtesy of Killain," growls Ged as he leaves. Inside the bundle is the priest's black platemail and a pair of boots. A minor enchantment confirms Otto's suspicion; both radiate dweomers. Otto puts himself to the test, trying to understand the magics used on the equipment. The platemail is weakly enchanted to improve its protective powers, but the boots are more complicated, taking much effort to distinguish the unusual auras radiating from them. Finally Otto decodes the auras, determining that the boots have enchantments of movement woven into them. Otto is quite pleased with himself.
Otto and Raven are summoned later to meet with the Anvilsplitter. He has much to say to the two of them, and some concerns as well. He had the priest, one Pek Brimmiden, asked many questions, including those the Company requested, but now he thinks this may have been a bad idea. He says he'll voice his concerns after he's told the Company the answers he got.
Pek Brimmiden no longer worships Erythnul, even though he wears characteristic garb of a sub-sect of the god. Instead, he claimed that he worshiped a new god, Tharizdun, bringer of the future dark. Killain Anvilsplitter makes the hammer of Moridin when he says the god's name. According to Pek, Tharizdun rules him as Tharizdun will rule all and through Tharizdun all things are possible. Pek Brimmiden was remarkably persuasive when speaking about his new god.
Pek Brimmiden claimed that Tharizdun directs all of his troops like fingers on a harpsichord, playing them all directly to make a beautiful sound. No one deviates from the chosen plan and the cold gaze of Tharizdun rests on all of the blessed. Tharizdun's holy temple, buried deep in the Oerth, holds all souls in abeyance.
Killain started with easy questions and found that the magical armor is weakly protective and the boots make Pek Brimmiden fleet of foot. Of course, the word of an evil priest should always be checked. Otto confirms that the foul priest was, in this instance, honest.
Killain was able to establish that no additional enemy forces are hidden from sight. The orcs and the giants are those living forces that are available. Pek Brimmiden and his brethren were to convert the fallen into zombies and skeletons to augment the living with the undead. What disturbed him more though was what Pek said about the forces yet to arrive.
A large mass of undead are moving from Sterich towards Longspear. Pek Brimmiden, his brethren, and his zombies came ahead to pave the way. The undead that are coming are self-replicating, unlike the zombies and skeletons here. Ghouls, wights, wraiths, and spectres make up the undead horde. They will replace their own losses by making unlife of the living.
Until that horde arrives, the orcs and giants are to merely hem in the city. The more troops that come into Longspear, the more undead that will eventually be made. If people flee, the horde will catch them eventually, or their corpses will be disinterred to be made into skeletons. Tharizdun cares not how one serves.
The taking of the Temple District was done by the orcs and giants before Pek Brimmiden arrival. The exact manner by which that was done was not known to Pek Brimmiden. He assumed some subterfuge was performed, since the army was upon the city with little warning, but the exact manner was unknown to him. Pek Brimmiden showed a cavalier lack of care about the state of the orcs and the giants, stating that, in the end, they will all be fodder for Tharizdun regardless.
Pek Brimmiden knew that the giants have supernatural allies, minions of the new god, strange mists that took many forms. Additionally, Pek Brimmiden and his brethren possess a Hand of Glory through which they can call upon supernatural aid. His brother, Diajani Innabryl, used it as a distraction during the destruction of the fonts and altars of the Temples in Longspear. The undead horde itself bears many powerful undead and needs no other aid.
When the undead horde arrives, attacks will take place on all fronts. The river will be no barrier to the undead. The air will be no barrier to the undead. The land will be blanketed in a sea of undead, and Longspear will be submerged in it. "Pek Brimmiden was a little creepy on this point," says Killain, reaching for a glass of beverage and drinking it. He offers some to the two humans, who wisely decline.
When Killain's inquisitor asked about tunneling or the use of the catacombs or sewers, a strange look came over Pek Brimmiden's face. It was as if he was a puppet, and his strings suddenly were being yanked. A much deeper voice, as if that of a stern, older man, came from his mouth. "Sewers and catacombs? You ask about such trivialities! Kneel before your Master!"
"It was at that point that I realized what I had not understood before," admits Killain. "It was there before us the whole time. Pek Brimmiden did not give up his old god and take on a new one. He was taken by a new god from his old god. Pek Brimmiden is a conduit for Tharizdun. It knows what Pek Brimmiden knew, and now it knows me as well."
When Killain realized this, he ordered his men to slay the priest. Surprisingly, one refused to do so, beginning to argue with Killain. These Keepers of the Peace were among his best men, his most experienced. No normal pleading by a prisoner would have swayed their hearts. The voice of Tharizdun coming through his priest must also work some ill magic, sapping the spirit and will from those who hear it. The affected guard has been late to his post since then, and has been remitted to the care of the priests of Phyton.
Otto and Raven are uncertain what to do next, so a short round of quiet drinking with Killain seems a reasonable step. Indeed, the dwarven poteen is strong and heartwarming, but not enough to keep the chills away. "We go to speak with Sir Highrider next," says Killain. "I tell you first, because you are likely to be the hammer to our anvil. Come on now, but leave the cups behind." With those words, Killain rises and ambles from the room, his mail clanking, escorting Otto and Raven along.
Killain escorts the Company to Sir Highrider's office. Sir Highrider has a plan to deal with the oncoming threat. He has sent for all of the priests in the nearby area, no matter how weak or strong, to come to Longspear. All crown towns and lords should respond to his summons or face charges of treason. If the current orcish army can be displaced, the undead can be met by circles of priests, combined together to be as powerful as possible. With the Pelorites leading the way, even spectres can be made to flee, if enough priests can be collected.
To move the orcish army will require an all-out assault by Sir Highrider's forces though. He has heard that the Company has a dwarven warrior capable of leading dwarvish troops from the Little Hills. He has also heard that some of the merchant guard outside of the city bear some allegiance to Raven. He wishes Raven to bring those forces to bear on the orcs at the same time that Sir Highrider strips the city of all fighting forces to launch one great attack. He believes, absent supernatural intervention, this would not only splinter the orcish horde, even with their giantish support, but that surprise and equal weight of forces would lead to a rout of the orcs, forcing them back into the Little Hills.
Of course, with the priests of Tharizdun and their undead and the possibility of the cloud-giant-summoned demons, the battle could go very poorly. Therefore, Sir Highrider wishes the Company to assault the priests directly. Sir Highrider has a map of the Longspear catacombs that will lead to within several hundred feet of the priests' camp. The catacombs are not safe, per se, but nothing should be so dangerous as to stop the Company, even without Raven's expert leadership and Al's steady axe. Sir Highrider even has men in the catacombs, good, solid Keepers of the Peace, watching for potential orcish or undead attack. Once the assault on the orcs has started, it should be simple for the Company to pop out of the catacombs, slaughter the priests, and hopefully the cloud giant, and then flee back into the catacombs again. If successful, the battle for Longspear will be assured, if not, the attack will likely fail.
Sir Highrider understands the Company is performing magics and miracles in preparation for future battles, so he does not need to know immediately, but soon would be good. He expects the priests to arrive from the back country within the next week. If the orcs are still besieging the city when the bulk of the priests arrive, then there is a good chance that surprise will be lost, or worse, the priests attacked and slain. Thus, the assault on the orcs must happen in a narrow window of time for the maximum chance of success. Raven and Otto promise to speak with their mages and send word immediately.
Winthrop is called out of the second story of the Wheat Field to speak with Raven and Otto. Winthrop is annoyed that a crucial exercise with Oaklock has been interrupted, and for what? Raven and Otto explain the situation. Winthrop, for all of his confused, annoyed nature, is smarter than most men, and he quickly grasps the ramifications. "The final rituals can wait. I will finished with Oaklock on Starday. Prepare to enter the catacombs on Moonday, so that we fight the evil priests on Godsday," he says. "Find out for me if the Silent One is truly lost, for we could use his power."
Raven sends Ged back to Killain telling him that the Company will be ready in under a week, and asks Frank to search out any information on the Silent One. He also takes Frank aside and quietly fills him in on the upcoming events. Frank grows deathly serious when he hears the news. "I'll be heading out with you," he tells Raven. "I can find more men faster than you can." Raven nods, and Frank quickly strides out of the Wheat Field, bellowing for his boys.
The rest of the Company is informed of events as well. Time has finally caught up with them. They spend much of the night arguing about what an appropriate distribution of spoils should be. Much to-ing and fro-ing takes place, and they almost come to blows a number of times. Frank interrupts at a timely juncture to tell them that the Silent One is most certainly retreated from battle. When the orcs and giants assaulted the city, the courtyard of the Silent One filled with fog and smoke. Strange noises can be heard from the courtyard and the oddly shaped figures stalk it. The carved columns block all attempts to enter. The Silent One's Octahedron is barely visible through the fog. No entry points can be seen. The few windows and one balcony are all shuttered.
Perhaps it is the certainty of this lack of support that drives them on to an equitable distribution of items, but by the early morning, almost all has been doled out. Dell holds a single ring yet unaccounted for. "I'm keeping this one," he says.
"What's it do?" queries Raven, yawning behind his hand.
"I think its intentionally misleading. The aura indicates it grants the wearer's wishes, but that must be a curse. No ring is so powerful," says Dell.
"Ok, but if it really grants wishes, I don't want you wishing willy-nilly, you hear?" retorts Raven. Dell nods and pockets the ring.
Raven and Al depart with Frank and several of his boys. They plan on crossing and recrossing the Javan, meeting up with troops on the far side, and collecting what dwarven troops are available and those militia and merchant men that have headed towards the Hall of the Blue Sun. On Godsday, they will advance onto the plains in front of Longspear, to meet in battle. The others wish them well.
Otto and Dell, along with his two Keepers of the Peace minders, visit Madeleine and Launir's bands, offering to trade enchanted items, since some of the spoils from the glacier have replaced more weakly enchanted items held by the Company. Unsurprisingly, no one is willing to give up their own enchanted armor, but the mercenaries offer to purchase the items with gold coinage. The Company is less than thrilled, and no deal is made.
Dell is more successful in dealing with the mages employed by Launir. In exchange for more powerful spells, the two mages, twins named Koit and Enel, provide Dell with several uncommon, but weaker enchantments. Dell is certainly more powerful than the twins, but it is plain that the twins have worked with Launir a long time and are battle-tested. "Keep an eye on them if you see them across a battlefield," mutters Dell to Otto, once the transaction is completed.
"Ged, do you know what's going on?" asks Dell, knowing that Ged is the more likely of the two dwarves to speak. Ged nods, a positive sign. "Any chance that Sir Highrider or Killain will send someone along with us?" queries Dell.
"What would be the point of sending men with you? Either soldiers that could be serving in the line against the orcs and the giants, who would be of little use to you except to make it more likely that you'd be discovered in the tunnels, or leaders of men, who would be more valuable in the battle between the armies, would be going. There's what, eight of you? That should be enough, I gather, but if you need additional help, ask one of your priestly buddies to go," replies Ged, in perhaps the longest sentence he's spoken in the Company's presence.
Gathering Maximilian, who left the Company to become a residential priest, seems like a wise thing. Surprisingly, Maximilian is pleased to be invited to go along with the Company on this bold attack. He has, to some extent, missed the tension and the drama of the adventuring life, even though it was horrible for his fashion and clothing. Maximilian relates his efforts to introduce some cosmopolitan style into this backwater city, but that he has struggled uphill against provincial ideas. Maximilian joins the others in the Wheat Field, taking Raven's room, to aid in brainstorming and strategizing. with the others.
Moonday arrives and the Company prepares themselves, trekking to meet with Killain Anvilsplitter. The city is abuzz, some news having leaked out over the past week that today is a great day and that something besides the daily grind of the siege will occur. As men are mustered out and prepared, the Company heads away from the front lines, up into the citadel.
Strategy sessions seem more and more to be listening to Sir Highrider and less and less about developing a new strategy. Sir Highrider's plan is to continue to ship in supplies and reinforcements from across the Javan river and wait for relief to come, either directly from Niole Dra, from Loftwick, or from Flen or Cryllor to the north. So long as Sir Highrider's forces are increasing, he is content to defend. He posits disease and shortness of supply weakening his enemies as they camp in the lands outside of the city.
Both Raven and Otto have doubts about the overall plan, but see no fatal flaw. Raven wonders whether the city's increase in men outweighs the opponent's increase in undead, now that priests have arrived. Otto's questions are more practical, asking in detail about troop strength and placement. Sir Highrider, clearly not pleased to be questioned in his own castle about his strategy, only grudgingly replies.
Sir Highrider snootily informs Otto that the cavalry is essentially no more. Only a hundred trained horses remain, under the control of the Army, and that they will be used to break any enclosed infantry action inside the city. Sir Highrider had been preparing Longspear for combat for months now, hearing the news coming out of Sterich, so most of the merchant guard is armed with crossbows, but they, of course, are the major losses during the siege, as they are exposed on the walls to the enemy fire. Catapults are all but useless, as the giants catch the weapons and use them against the walls, and ballistae, while effective, are primary targets for the giants' boulders.
The relationship between the merchant guards and his direct control is touchy. Sir Highrider could conscript them all into the Keoish army, but they would need to be reorganized and drilled into squads and teams. Without such training, the men would be no better than raw peasant militia. On the other hand, inviting any single merchant family into his coterie of advisors brings dissension from the other families. Inviting all of the families to advise makes meetings unbearable. As it stands, he issues orders to the merchant family heads and, usually, they follow the spirit, if not the letter of them.
Sir Highrider rises into a frothing rage when Otto asks about magical contributions from wizards in the city. Madeleine von Essell and Launir Netherander excuse themselves from the table to get some water while Sir Highrider rants about the infidelity of the Silent One, who has removed himself from battle when the city needs him most. Sir Highrider rants for a good fifteen minutes, turning redder and redder as he does, until all fear he will have an apoplectic seizure. He claims he will raze the Silent One's residence to the ground and petition King Skotti, his cousin, to expel all members of their order. The sight is quite startling.
Launir whispers to Raven over a blueberry scone that wizards are a sore point with Sir Highrider and suggests not raising the issue again. Between Launir's and Madeleine's troops are three wizards capable of the destructive magics of fire and lightning. Besides them, no other battle-class mage has stepped forth. Launir's language is odd, Raven never having heard the phrase "battle-class" used in front of him while he was in the militia, and slightly inflected. Raven files the information away for further contemplation.
After Sir Highrider dismisses his meetings to attend to other things, Otto and Raven hobnob with the three mercenary captains. Thomas O'Shaelee leads a contingent of horse archers, The Red Riders, from the Grand March. His horses are stabled on the other side of the river, under the guard of half his men, but the rest command groups of archers on the walls of the city. Madeleine von Essell hies from Perrenland and leads a corps of spearmen, the Keuzberg Pikes. She confides that several of her men are capable of minor magics and that her main advisor, Kerren Loreweaver, is a mage. Launir Netherander is somewhat evasive in his answers, saying that his small group of men happened to be in the area looking for someone and decided to pitch in. Otto points out that his small group contains two mages, but Launir reminds him that the Company contains three.
Hiking back to the Wheat Field, Raven and Otto discuss whether any of the mercenary groups pose a threat to the Company. Launir seems distressingly well informed about the strength of the Company, and his accent could mark him from the Great Kingdom. Raven reminds Otto that the Company has made its share of enemies from the Great Kingdom when the Company fought under the temple of Gruumsh in Highport. Otto points out that Launir seems to have undercounted Pfiffwin, so perhaps their intelligence is worse than it seems. In either case, Diego and Alouicious can mount a more serious guard, and the Wheat Field seems firmly in the hands of their Colnet allies.
Otto, who has learnt the basics of dweomercraft, Dell and Winthrop, when he is not sequestered with Oaklock, spend hour upon hour investigating the magical items brought back from the glacial rift. The stream of people selling their family heirlooms trickles to a halt, but is a profitable exercise. many requisite pearls are found, purchased and used. The magical items are wide and varied. Some are merely enchanted weapons and armor of a type similar to those found earlier. Others though are more interesting, a horn of summoning barbarian warriors, a hammer of smiting, paints that convey life into the painting, wands of freezing cold, giant-slaying swords, weakening rings that turn one invisible, and a deadly box that holds more than can fit in its volume.
In the midst of all of this, Killain Anvilsplitter sends word to the Company that they are prepared to begin questioning the prisoner, should Dell release him from his amber enchantment. Raven, Diego, Otto, and Dell meet with Killain Anvilsplitter when the prisoner is to be released. The Keepers of the Peace take many precautions against the casting of unholy prayers and surround the statue of the man. Raven warns them that if he is killed, his spirit is unreachable for questioning. Dell takes out the cold-forged mithril circlet dug up out of the ancient tomb and places it on his brow. He stiffens and begins to glance around the room, taking in the look of each person there. He takes the circlet off, and says, "Ready."
When Dell releases his spell, the priest is mobbed by a veritable horde of dwarves who beat the man unconscious. "We'll take it from here," growls Killain. Otto presents a short list of questions to Killain to be certain they are asked. Killain mutters something about not being a servant or a fool.
Several days later, Ged presents Otto with a heavy bundle. "Courtesy of Killain," growls Ged as he leaves. Inside the bundle is the priest's black platemail and a pair of boots. A minor enchantment confirms Otto's suspicion; both radiate dweomers. Otto puts himself to the test, trying to understand the magics used on the equipment. The platemail is weakly enchanted to improve its protective powers, but the boots are more complicated, taking much effort to distinguish the unusual auras radiating from them. Finally Otto decodes the auras, determining that the boots have enchantments of movement woven into them. Otto is quite pleased with himself.
Otto and Raven are summoned later to meet with the Anvilsplitter. He has much to say to the two of them, and some concerns as well. He had the priest, one Pek Brimmiden, asked many questions, including those the Company requested, but now he thinks this may have been a bad idea. He says he'll voice his concerns after he's told the Company the answers he got.
Pek Brimmiden no longer worships Erythnul, even though he wears characteristic garb of a sub-sect of the god. Instead, he claimed that he worshiped a new god, Tharizdun, bringer of the future dark. Killain Anvilsplitter makes the hammer of Moridin when he says the god's name. According to Pek, Tharizdun rules him as Tharizdun will rule all and through Tharizdun all things are possible. Pek Brimmiden was remarkably persuasive when speaking about his new god.
Pek Brimmiden claimed that Tharizdun directs all of his troops like fingers on a harpsichord, playing them all directly to make a beautiful sound. No one deviates from the chosen plan and the cold gaze of Tharizdun rests on all of the blessed. Tharizdun's holy temple, buried deep in the Oerth, holds all souls in abeyance.
Killain started with easy questions and found that the magical armor is weakly protective and the boots make Pek Brimmiden fleet of foot. Of course, the word of an evil priest should always be checked. Otto confirms that the foul priest was, in this instance, honest.
Killain was able to establish that no additional enemy forces are hidden from sight. The orcs and the giants are those living forces that are available. Pek Brimmiden and his brethren were to convert the fallen into zombies and skeletons to augment the living with the undead. What disturbed him more though was what Pek said about the forces yet to arrive.
A large mass of undead are moving from Sterich towards Longspear. Pek Brimmiden, his brethren, and his zombies came ahead to pave the way. The undead that are coming are self-replicating, unlike the zombies and skeletons here. Ghouls, wights, wraiths, and spectres make up the undead horde. They will replace their own losses by making unlife of the living.
Until that horde arrives, the orcs and giants are to merely hem in the city. The more troops that come into Longspear, the more undead that will eventually be made. If people flee, the horde will catch them eventually, or their corpses will be disinterred to be made into skeletons. Tharizdun cares not how one serves.
The taking of the Temple District was done by the orcs and giants before Pek Brimmiden arrival. The exact manner by which that was done was not known to Pek Brimmiden. He assumed some subterfuge was performed, since the army was upon the city with little warning, but the exact manner was unknown to him. Pek Brimmiden showed a cavalier lack of care about the state of the orcs and the giants, stating that, in the end, they will all be fodder for Tharizdun regardless.
Pek Brimmiden knew that the giants have supernatural allies, minions of the new god, strange mists that took many forms. Additionally, Pek Brimmiden and his brethren possess a Hand of Glory through which they can call upon supernatural aid. His brother, Diajani Innabryl, used it as a distraction during the destruction of the fonts and altars of the Temples in Longspear. The undead horde itself bears many powerful undead and needs no other aid.
When the undead horde arrives, attacks will take place on all fronts. The river will be no barrier to the undead. The air will be no barrier to the undead. The land will be blanketed in a sea of undead, and Longspear will be submerged in it. "Pek Brimmiden was a little creepy on this point," says Killain, reaching for a glass of beverage and drinking it. He offers some to the two humans, who wisely decline.
When Killain's inquisitor asked about tunneling or the use of the catacombs or sewers, a strange look came over Pek Brimmiden's face. It was as if he was a puppet, and his strings suddenly were being yanked. A much deeper voice, as if that of a stern, older man, came from his mouth. "Sewers and catacombs? You ask about such trivialities! Kneel before your Master!"
"It was at that point that I realized what I had not understood before," admits Killain. "It was there before us the whole time. Pek Brimmiden did not give up his old god and take on a new one. He was taken by a new god from his old god. Pek Brimmiden is a conduit for Tharizdun. It knows what Pek Brimmiden knew, and now it knows me as well."
When Killain realized this, he ordered his men to slay the priest. Surprisingly, one refused to do so, beginning to argue with Killain. These Keepers of the Peace were among his best men, his most experienced. No normal pleading by a prisoner would have swayed their hearts. The voice of Tharizdun coming through his priest must also work some ill magic, sapping the spirit and will from those who hear it. The affected guard has been late to his post since then, and has been remitted to the care of the priests of Phyton.
Otto and Raven are uncertain what to do next, so a short round of quiet drinking with Killain seems a reasonable step. Indeed, the dwarven poteen is strong and heartwarming, but not enough to keep the chills away. "We go to speak with Sir Highrider next," says Killain. "I tell you first, because you are likely to be the hammer to our anvil. Come on now, but leave the cups behind." With those words, Killain rises and ambles from the room, his mail clanking, escorting Otto and Raven along.
Killain escorts the Company to Sir Highrider's office. Sir Highrider has a plan to deal with the oncoming threat. He has sent for all of the priests in the nearby area, no matter how weak or strong, to come to Longspear. All crown towns and lords should respond to his summons or face charges of treason. If the current orcish army can be displaced, the undead can be met by circles of priests, combined together to be as powerful as possible. With the Pelorites leading the way, even spectres can be made to flee, if enough priests can be collected.
To move the orcish army will require an all-out assault by Sir Highrider's forces though. He has heard that the Company has a dwarven warrior capable of leading dwarvish troops from the Little Hills. He has also heard that some of the merchant guard outside of the city bear some allegiance to Raven. He wishes Raven to bring those forces to bear on the orcs at the same time that Sir Highrider strips the city of all fighting forces to launch one great attack. He believes, absent supernatural intervention, this would not only splinter the orcish horde, even with their giantish support, but that surprise and equal weight of forces would lead to a rout of the orcs, forcing them back into the Little Hills.
Of course, with the priests of Tharizdun and their undead and the possibility of the cloud-giant-summoned demons, the battle could go very poorly. Therefore, Sir Highrider wishes the Company to assault the priests directly. Sir Highrider has a map of the Longspear catacombs that will lead to within several hundred feet of the priests' camp. The catacombs are not safe, per se, but nothing should be so dangerous as to stop the Company, even without Raven's expert leadership and Al's steady axe. Sir Highrider even has men in the catacombs, good, solid Keepers of the Peace, watching for potential orcish or undead attack. Once the assault on the orcs has started, it should be simple for the Company to pop out of the catacombs, slaughter the priests, and hopefully the cloud giant, and then flee back into the catacombs again. If successful, the battle for Longspear will be assured, if not, the attack will likely fail.
Sir Highrider understands the Company is performing magics and miracles in preparation for future battles, so he does not need to know immediately, but soon would be good. He expects the priests to arrive from the back country within the next week. If the orcs are still besieging the city when the bulk of the priests arrive, then there is a good chance that surprise will be lost, or worse, the priests attacked and slain. Thus, the assault on the orcs must happen in a narrow window of time for the maximum chance of success. Raven and Otto promise to speak with their mages and send word immediately.
Winthrop is called out of the second story of the Wheat Field to speak with Raven and Otto. Winthrop is annoyed that a crucial exercise with Oaklock has been interrupted, and for what? Raven and Otto explain the situation. Winthrop, for all of his confused, annoyed nature, is smarter than most men, and he quickly grasps the ramifications. "The final rituals can wait. I will finished with Oaklock on Starday. Prepare to enter the catacombs on Moonday, so that we fight the evil priests on Godsday," he says. "Find out for me if the Silent One is truly lost, for we could use his power."
Raven sends Ged back to Killain telling him that the Company will be ready in under a week, and asks Frank to search out any information on the Silent One. He also takes Frank aside and quietly fills him in on the upcoming events. Frank grows deathly serious when he hears the news. "I'll be heading out with you," he tells Raven. "I can find more men faster than you can." Raven nods, and Frank quickly strides out of the Wheat Field, bellowing for his boys.
The rest of the Company is informed of events as well. Time has finally caught up with them. They spend much of the night arguing about what an appropriate distribution of spoils should be. Much to-ing and fro-ing takes place, and they almost come to blows a number of times. Frank interrupts at a timely juncture to tell them that the Silent One is most certainly retreated from battle. When the orcs and giants assaulted the city, the courtyard of the Silent One filled with fog and smoke. Strange noises can be heard from the courtyard and the oddly shaped figures stalk it. The carved columns block all attempts to enter. The Silent One's Octahedron is barely visible through the fog. No entry points can be seen. The few windows and one balcony are all shuttered.
Perhaps it is the certainty of this lack of support that drives them on to an equitable distribution of items, but by the early morning, almost all has been doled out. Dell holds a single ring yet unaccounted for. "I'm keeping this one," he says.
"What's it do?" queries Raven, yawning behind his hand.
"I think its intentionally misleading. The aura indicates it grants the wearer's wishes, but that must be a curse. No ring is so powerful," says Dell.
"Ok, but if it really grants wishes, I don't want you wishing willy-nilly, you hear?" retorts Raven. Dell nods and pockets the ring.
Raven and Al depart with Frank and several of his boys. They plan on crossing and recrossing the Javan, meeting up with troops on the far side, and collecting what dwarven troops are available and those militia and merchant men that have headed towards the Hall of the Blue Sun. On Godsday, they will advance onto the plains in front of Longspear, to meet in battle. The others wish them well.
Otto and Dell, along with his two Keepers of the Peace minders, visit Madeleine and Launir's bands, offering to trade enchanted items, since some of the spoils from the glacier have replaced more weakly enchanted items held by the Company. Unsurprisingly, no one is willing to give up their own enchanted armor, but the mercenaries offer to purchase the items with gold coinage. The Company is less than thrilled, and no deal is made.
Dell is more successful in dealing with the mages employed by Launir. In exchange for more powerful spells, the two mages, twins named Koit and Enel, provide Dell with several uncommon, but weaker enchantments. Dell is certainly more powerful than the twins, but it is plain that the twins have worked with Launir a long time and are battle-tested. "Keep an eye on them if you see them across a battlefield," mutters Dell to Otto, once the transaction is completed.
"Ged, do you know what's going on?" asks Dell, knowing that Ged is the more likely of the two dwarves to speak. Ged nods, a positive sign. "Any chance that Sir Highrider or Killain will send someone along with us?" queries Dell.
"What would be the point of sending men with you? Either soldiers that could be serving in the line against the orcs and the giants, who would be of little use to you except to make it more likely that you'd be discovered in the tunnels, or leaders of men, who would be more valuable in the battle between the armies, would be going. There's what, eight of you? That should be enough, I gather, but if you need additional help, ask one of your priestly buddies to go," replies Ged, in perhaps the longest sentence he's spoken in the Company's presence.
Gathering Maximilian, who left the Company to become a residential priest, seems like a wise thing. Surprisingly, Maximilian is pleased to be invited to go along with the Company on this bold attack. He has, to some extent, missed the tension and the drama of the adventuring life, even though it was horrible for his fashion and clothing. Maximilian relates his efforts to introduce some cosmopolitan style into this backwater city, but that he has struggled uphill against provincial ideas. Maximilian joins the others in the Wheat Field, taking Raven's room, to aid in brainstorming and strategizing. with the others.
Moonday arrives and the Company prepares themselves, trekking to meet with Killain Anvilsplitter. The city is abuzz, some news having leaked out over the past week that today is a great day and that something besides the daily grind of the siege will occur. As men are mustered out and prepared, the Company heads away from the front lines, up into the citadel.