Turn 3.5 (Part 2; Infiltration)
Critian Caceorte
Currently Suffering from Space-Time Narcolepsy
- Location
- Washington State
-[X][Sneak] Free the Bound Hydra (Medium Action DC, Medium Escape DC)
--[X] Ekundayo (Intrigue +13, Martial + Combat = +13)
Infiltration DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 45 + 13 = 58, Bare Failure!
Hidden Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 4 + 13 = 17, Failure!
Loud Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 5 (Martial + 8 (Combat) = +13
Roll: 66 + 13 = 79, success!
It was a rare time that Ekundayo regretted not signing up for an assassination mission with little information. Generally speaking, any mission which did not have an extensive outline of facts for who was who, who liked who, and other such details was a risky one. And risky missions were to be avoided if they weren't necessary. There was many a time that she declined to take on a task because almost nothing was known about the people involved, and many a time that she had to accept such jobs because there was no one else skilled enough to do it. Being one of the very few "subtle" Sovereigns in Uluiru had a tendency of forcing you into wetwork, unfortunately.
In this case, Ekundayo was regretting her decision to turn down the assassination job. After all, if her potential target was going to make it so EASY for her to take out, why would she not at least make an attempt?
Oh sure, the commander, a pointed-ear in finely detailed black and purple armor, a sword at his hip, SEEMED like he had everything under his control… if you were a moron. She was sure that any of her fellow advisors, any of her fellow Exalts, maybe even the average citizen of Uluiru could see that this man's rule was tenuous at best. And if the average outsider could see that his grip was slacking, what about those within his culture?
Observe, for a moment, the individual in question. Despite his straight back and attention to the massive multi-headed serpent ahead of him, his skin is noticeably paler than that of his nearby cohorts, and that was unlikely to be because it was naturally that way. The setting sun's light reflected off of the sweat dotting his face, betraying his lack of composure and elevated heart rate. His hands were fidgeting in front of his groin, closer to his sword sheath, twisting their mutual grip of each other instead of remaining still. A more confident officer likely would have his hands solidly situated behind his back, showing that he had nothing to fear from the situation in front of him by mildly restraining his appendages. Then again, that was her own culture's mindset informing her here, but that's besides the point.
Observe here, the commander's own guard. These soldiers, and they are very much soldiers, having trained their skills and bloodlust until it could be restrained to the smallest percentile. These guards are arrayed in some of the finest black-and-gold armor and spears she has ever seen in her life, at least for common warriors. They did not seem to display the supernatural potency of the common magical materials, but if they did not have SOMETHING magical done to them, she would have eaten her mud-splattered shoes. Likely a divine blessing, or perhaps sorcery, if she had to guess. Regardless, these were top-of-the-line fighters, which meant that their service to this fool of a general was strange.
How could a veteran squadron of soldiers ever willingly lend their service to a man who was visibly too inexperienced and unconfident to acquire their services normally? Her best guess was an inheritance of some sort, maybe his parents or the like gifted these warriors to his service in order to ensure he had the best protection possible. Yet… that didn't seem right… She analyzed their behavior with her full attention, watching how they genuflected to their nominal leader. How they stood a great deal further from their protectee than actual guards should, particularly those situated behind him who were not even allowed to look in his direction. Or, more importantly, the direction of his noticeably unprotected back. Even the guards at his side who DID face him gave only the barest respect expected from their job, giving him looks of disdain when he wasn't, no, even when he WAS looking. Guards of this caliber would not dare to express such public dislike to the child of their lord, they would express their hatred in private. Which meant that…
'These aren't his parent's guards, they're someone else's. Maybe his liege lord's? But if that was the case, why would he maintain such a great distance from those who are supposed to protect his body like, you know, bodyguards? Does he expect them to backstab him at any moment? Why would… And then it clicked.
The realization occurred, and Evil-Smile Ekundayo lived up to her title with the nastiest grin she could muster.
This? This commander? That was no man. That was a lamb to the slaughter. An example waiting to be made for incompetence. The moment he slipped up (and with that giant unruly snake of his tugging at its chains, that wouldn't be hard), his supposed "protectors" would likely put both the behemoth AND their supposed ward to the sword for what she had to guess was "the good of the realm." More than likely, what that really meant was politics. Either this fool's lord was worried about his rising star, or simply thought he was useless and wanted him eliminated to prevent further mistakes. That was her best guess at the moment.
Unfortunately, those same guards did seem alert enough that they could possibly sense her if she approached. That meant that sneaking towards the beast's chains, or the sorceress visibly pacifying the monster via a brown streak of magic, was unlikely to work. With those options eliminated, it was unlikely that she would be able to free the behemoth anytime soon. Letting out a sigh, Ekundayo turned away to make her way out of the camp-
-And had to dodge out of the way of a spear aimed towards her back. It was one of those veteran guards! Two, actually, his partner was right next to him ready to spitroast her with his halberd. Already the first soldier was retracting his polearm to make another thrust, and she knew that while she was good in a fight, she wasn't good enough to take down two elites with no armor on her person. She could manifest her fireglass set from her Anima, but that would blow her cover even more, and she had no intentions of informing the enemy on what her kind could do.
So, she ran. Ran towards the guards in the clearing, which both got her out of the range of the first two soldiers, and surprised those in the field. She then took a 90-degree turn to the left, heading away from both groups with a speed that was sadly atypical of her kind. Already she could feel the light of her Anima Banner beginning to form, it was always annoying how little it took for a Sovereign such as herself to let loose her light, PARTICULARLY when it was most inconvenient. The few motes stored in her body which didn't resound with light and music had already consumed themselves in her analysis, and now she was forced to draw on the less pure, though much more numerous drops of power to ensure her escape.
It wasn't much, the Sovereign Exalted were not meant for speed nor stealth, but when you tossed enough divine power at a problem (and the more her Anima Banner shined, the more power she had available), you eventually could work out a solution. Eventually, her Banner took on its totemic form, an opal goblinoid creature with a smile that stretched from as long as the creature was tall. So it was that she tossed mote after mote at the issue, fueling her legs even as they burned with the exertion, and led a bright and speedy escape outside of the enemy camp. Eventually, she was able to throw off her pursuers in the woods and hide away in the mountains while her Anima burned down.
It took much of her allowed time to get back to Uluiru without anyone following behind her, but she at least made it back in time to report her findings. What her king would do with that information was his prerogative.
While the Hydra could not be freed, Ekundayo was able to provide some much needed information regarding the army's leadership.
Full Enemy Army List revealed! Rolls for unit quality are listed after their name.
-[X][Sneak] Poison the Food/Water Supply (Low Action DC, Low Escape DC)
--[X] Scouts (Intrigue +0, Increases DC by 10 but grants Best of 2 for rolls.)
Infiltration DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 90, 52 = Success!
Hidden Escape DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 40, 62 = Success!
Meanwhile, Ekundayo's bright exit proved to be a boon for the less experienced scouts, who were able to exploit the distraction for all that it was worth. Using clothes fashioned in the same manner as the slaves captured back in New Uluiru, they were easily able to walk inside the kitchen tents which supplied the army's food. From there, a whole variety of toxic concoctions were liberally spread amongst the remaining food and water supplies. Breads dusted with powder that resembled flour but which inflicted bloody flux. Nightshade leaves mixed in with the tea leaves, arsenic mixed into the water barrels, the whole affair was quite extensive. In the end, every "expendable" stock of poison which the Ministry of Vigilance had on hand was used up, requiring that future stores of the stuff would need manpower to be created.
And though the scouts exited before they could see the effects of their sabotage, the effects would be readily apparent in the next few days. When the pointed-ear army arrived outside of the homestead's walls, the humans would not see a well-organized and disciplined force. They would see an army clutching its stomachs, panting with unnatural exhaustion, and hateful glares directed towards the army commander, the sole individual spared this awful array of symptoms.
Poison Results are as follows:
Commander DC 90
Roll: 63, failure. Commander is not poisoned.
Sorceress DC 80
Roll: 76, bare failure! Sorceress suffers -5 penalty to rolls.
Black Guard DC 70
Roll: 98, very successful! Size reduced from 2 to 1. -15 penalty to rolls.
Executioners DC 60
Roll: 67, success! -10 penalty to rolls.
Cavalry DC 40
Roll: 42, success! -10 penalty to rolls
Hydra: Auto-Immune
As an unexpected consequence of literally everyone except for the commander being poisoned, resentment has been created amongst the army! An additional -10 penalty to the morale rolls of all units has been applied. A Critical Fail on enemy morale rolls will result in the unit turning against their commander to kill him!
Author's Note: This is your reminder that Ekundayo's insights are based on limited information, which may or may not be correct. What she IS correct about however is that the Commander's army do not feel any real loyalty to him, which would have been discovered if Fuvor's roll during Turn 3 had a better result. Honestly, the rolls for this group are hilariously lopsided, if the Commander had rolled any lower I might not have had a general for the army in the first place! Instead, they get an ineffectual and incredibly paranoid elf in charge of everyone.
As for why this is the case story-wise, that will be explained later, as I intend to have at least one segment done from the Dark Elves' perspective. Suffice to say, there will be a reason for why a guy like this has troops like that.
If you're wondering how she was able to intuit even this much, Sovereigns have a number of Socialize Charms dedicated to sensing relationships between leaders and their subordinates, which really helped here story-wise even if they aren't used mechanically.
I'll try and get started on the battle plan vote, but that might take some time so don't panic if nothing comes of it for a few days.
EDIT: if you're wondering about the mote thing that Ekundayo was talking about, Sovereigns in the tabletop have absurdly low Personal Motes (Essence + 4) and fairly high Peripheral Motes (30 + (Essence x 4)). In her case, at Essence 2 she would have 6 Personal Motes and 38 Peripheral, while Gwai would have 9 and 50 respectively.
--[X] Ekundayo (Intrigue +13, Martial + Combat = +13)
Infiltration DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 45 + 13 = 58, Bare Failure!
Hidden Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 4 + 13 = 17, Failure!
Loud Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 5 (Martial + 8 (Combat) = +13
Roll: 66 + 13 = 79, success!
It was a rare time that Ekundayo regretted not signing up for an assassination mission with little information. Generally speaking, any mission which did not have an extensive outline of facts for who was who, who liked who, and other such details was a risky one. And risky missions were to be avoided if they weren't necessary. There was many a time that she declined to take on a task because almost nothing was known about the people involved, and many a time that she had to accept such jobs because there was no one else skilled enough to do it. Being one of the very few "subtle" Sovereigns in Uluiru had a tendency of forcing you into wetwork, unfortunately.
In this case, Ekundayo was regretting her decision to turn down the assassination job. After all, if her potential target was going to make it so EASY for her to take out, why would she not at least make an attempt?
Oh sure, the commander, a pointed-ear in finely detailed black and purple armor, a sword at his hip, SEEMED like he had everything under his control… if you were a moron. She was sure that any of her fellow advisors, any of her fellow Exalts, maybe even the average citizen of Uluiru could see that this man's rule was tenuous at best. And if the average outsider could see that his grip was slacking, what about those within his culture?
Observe, for a moment, the individual in question. Despite his straight back and attention to the massive multi-headed serpent ahead of him, his skin is noticeably paler than that of his nearby cohorts, and that was unlikely to be because it was naturally that way. The setting sun's light reflected off of the sweat dotting his face, betraying his lack of composure and elevated heart rate. His hands were fidgeting in front of his groin, closer to his sword sheath, twisting their mutual grip of each other instead of remaining still. A more confident officer likely would have his hands solidly situated behind his back, showing that he had nothing to fear from the situation in front of him by mildly restraining his appendages. Then again, that was her own culture's mindset informing her here, but that's besides the point.
Observe here, the commander's own guard. These soldiers, and they are very much soldiers, having trained their skills and bloodlust until it could be restrained to the smallest percentile. These guards are arrayed in some of the finest black-and-gold armor and spears she has ever seen in her life, at least for common warriors. They did not seem to display the supernatural potency of the common magical materials, but if they did not have SOMETHING magical done to them, she would have eaten her mud-splattered shoes. Likely a divine blessing, or perhaps sorcery, if she had to guess. Regardless, these were top-of-the-line fighters, which meant that their service to this fool of a general was strange.
How could a veteran squadron of soldiers ever willingly lend their service to a man who was visibly too inexperienced and unconfident to acquire their services normally? Her best guess was an inheritance of some sort, maybe his parents or the like gifted these warriors to his service in order to ensure he had the best protection possible. Yet… that didn't seem right… She analyzed their behavior with her full attention, watching how they genuflected to their nominal leader. How they stood a great deal further from their protectee than actual guards should, particularly those situated behind him who were not even allowed to look in his direction. Or, more importantly, the direction of his noticeably unprotected back. Even the guards at his side who DID face him gave only the barest respect expected from their job, giving him looks of disdain when he wasn't, no, even when he WAS looking. Guards of this caliber would not dare to express such public dislike to the child of their lord, they would express their hatred in private. Which meant that…
'These aren't his parent's guards, they're someone else's. Maybe his liege lord's? But if that was the case, why would he maintain such a great distance from those who are supposed to protect his body like, you know, bodyguards? Does he expect them to backstab him at any moment? Why would… And then it clicked.
The realization occurred, and Evil-Smile Ekundayo lived up to her title with the nastiest grin she could muster.
This? This commander? That was no man. That was a lamb to the slaughter. An example waiting to be made for incompetence. The moment he slipped up (and with that giant unruly snake of his tugging at its chains, that wouldn't be hard), his supposed "protectors" would likely put both the behemoth AND their supposed ward to the sword for what she had to guess was "the good of the realm." More than likely, what that really meant was politics. Either this fool's lord was worried about his rising star, or simply thought he was useless and wanted him eliminated to prevent further mistakes. That was her best guess at the moment.
Unfortunately, those same guards did seem alert enough that they could possibly sense her if she approached. That meant that sneaking towards the beast's chains, or the sorceress visibly pacifying the monster via a brown streak of magic, was unlikely to work. With those options eliminated, it was unlikely that she would be able to free the behemoth anytime soon. Letting out a sigh, Ekundayo turned away to make her way out of the camp-
-And had to dodge out of the way of a spear aimed towards her back. It was one of those veteran guards! Two, actually, his partner was right next to him ready to spitroast her with his halberd. Already the first soldier was retracting his polearm to make another thrust, and she knew that while she was good in a fight, she wasn't good enough to take down two elites with no armor on her person. She could manifest her fireglass set from her Anima, but that would blow her cover even more, and she had no intentions of informing the enemy on what her kind could do.
So, she ran. Ran towards the guards in the clearing, which both got her out of the range of the first two soldiers, and surprised those in the field. She then took a 90-degree turn to the left, heading away from both groups with a speed that was sadly atypical of her kind. Already she could feel the light of her Anima Banner beginning to form, it was always annoying how little it took for a Sovereign such as herself to let loose her light, PARTICULARLY when it was most inconvenient. The few motes stored in her body which didn't resound with light and music had already consumed themselves in her analysis, and now she was forced to draw on the less pure, though much more numerous drops of power to ensure her escape.
It wasn't much, the Sovereign Exalted were not meant for speed nor stealth, but when you tossed enough divine power at a problem (and the more her Anima Banner shined, the more power she had available), you eventually could work out a solution. Eventually, her Banner took on its totemic form, an opal goblinoid creature with a smile that stretched from as long as the creature was tall. So it was that she tossed mote after mote at the issue, fueling her legs even as they burned with the exertion, and led a bright and speedy escape outside of the enemy camp. Eventually, she was able to throw off her pursuers in the woods and hide away in the mountains while her Anima burned down.
It took much of her allowed time to get back to Uluiru without anyone following behind her, but she at least made it back in time to report her findings. What her king would do with that information was his prerogative.
While the Hydra could not be freed, Ekundayo was able to provide some much needed information regarding the army's leadership.
Full Enemy Army List revealed! Rolls for unit quality are listed after their name.
- Commander (18): Paranoid, Overextended/DOOMED Dreadlord; Poor Leader, uses Sword and Shield
- Sub-Commander (24): Lore of Beasts Sorceress; Does not have a good relationship with Commander
- Sword Infantry (84): Executioners of Har Ganeth; Size 3, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Infantry)
- Lance Infantry (64): Black Guard of Naggarond; Size 2 -> 1, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Cavalry and Large Targets)
- Ranged Infantry (8): None
- Cavalry (25): Dark Riders; Size 1, Quality 1, Might 1
- Monsters (89): War Hydra; Size 4, Quality 0, Might 3
-[X][Sneak] Poison the Food/Water Supply (Low Action DC, Low Escape DC)
--[X] Scouts (Intrigue +0, Increases DC by 10 but grants Best of 2 for rolls.)
Infiltration DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 90, 52 = Success!
Hidden Escape DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 40, 62 = Success!
Meanwhile, Ekundayo's bright exit proved to be a boon for the less experienced scouts, who were able to exploit the distraction for all that it was worth. Using clothes fashioned in the same manner as the slaves captured back in New Uluiru, they were easily able to walk inside the kitchen tents which supplied the army's food. From there, a whole variety of toxic concoctions were liberally spread amongst the remaining food and water supplies. Breads dusted with powder that resembled flour but which inflicted bloody flux. Nightshade leaves mixed in with the tea leaves, arsenic mixed into the water barrels, the whole affair was quite extensive. In the end, every "expendable" stock of poison which the Ministry of Vigilance had on hand was used up, requiring that future stores of the stuff would need manpower to be created.
And though the scouts exited before they could see the effects of their sabotage, the effects would be readily apparent in the next few days. When the pointed-ear army arrived outside of the homestead's walls, the humans would not see a well-organized and disciplined force. They would see an army clutching its stomachs, panting with unnatural exhaustion, and hateful glares directed towards the army commander, the sole individual spared this awful array of symptoms.
Poison Results are as follows:
Commander DC 90
Roll: 63, failure. Commander is not poisoned.
Sorceress DC 80
Roll: 76, bare failure! Sorceress suffers -5 penalty to rolls.
Black Guard DC 70
Roll: 98, very successful! Size reduced from 2 to 1. -15 penalty to rolls.
Executioners DC 60
Roll: 67, success! -10 penalty to rolls.
Cavalry DC 40
Roll: 42, success! -10 penalty to rolls
Hydra: Auto-Immune
As an unexpected consequence of literally everyone except for the commander being poisoned, resentment has been created amongst the army! An additional -10 penalty to the morale rolls of all units has been applied. A Critical Fail on enemy morale rolls will result in the unit turning against their commander to kill him!
Author's Note: This is your reminder that Ekundayo's insights are based on limited information, which may or may not be correct. What she IS correct about however is that the Commander's army do not feel any real loyalty to him, which would have been discovered if Fuvor's roll during Turn 3 had a better result. Honestly, the rolls for this group are hilariously lopsided, if the Commander had rolled any lower I might not have had a general for the army in the first place! Instead, they get an ineffectual and incredibly paranoid elf in charge of everyone.
As for why this is the case story-wise, that will be explained later, as I intend to have at least one segment done from the Dark Elves' perspective. Suffice to say, there will be a reason for why a guy like this has troops like that.
If you're wondering how she was able to intuit even this much, Sovereigns have a number of Socialize Charms dedicated to sensing relationships between leaders and their subordinates, which really helped here story-wise even if they aren't used mechanically.
I'll try and get started on the battle plan vote, but that might take some time so don't panic if nothing comes of it for a few days.
EDIT: if you're wondering about the mote thing that Ekundayo was talking about, Sovereigns in the tabletop have absurdly low Personal Motes (Essence + 4) and fairly high Peripheral Motes (30 + (Essence x 4)). In her case, at Essence 2 she would have 6 Personal Motes and 38 Peripheral, while Gwai would have 9 and 50 respectively.
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