Porcelain Child/SessionNineteen

At the bank of a river…
You presently are clustered near the small river in the midmorning sun. The danger of a startled immaculate is now over.
<onine> Yengo has been verbally 'sparring' with Orihime, the leader of the hunting party, Magpie has been...well. You know.
<onine> All is not well however, the land is full of strange beasts, Epheri is still lost along with Tara and the bizarre Ujiro - not to mention the strange construction some distance north of you.
<onine> "Well then... I suppose you can all rest, before we help you seek out the caravan." Orihime offers. The magistrate merely raises his eyebrow over his remaining eye and glances in Magpie and Vana's direction. He could smell the cover story. Not a particularly GOOD one, but one none the less.
<onine> The girls were thinking at least.
<Yengo> "We appreciate the help." If not the attitude, he thinks, still rubbing his throat. "How long has this been going on? Do you know what these... things are?"
<onine> Orihime orders a watch once more, allowing some to bathe. She leads you to the open riverbank around the bend (giving you a view of bathing monks) and sits cross-legged on the ground. "No. No we don’t." She sighs with visible shame that she has little information.
<onine> "They started appearing perhaps a year... maybe two years ago, in the Ascending Fire.” (It is descending Air at present, gettin cold.)
<Yengo> "That long? How could this have gone unnoticed..."
<Anona> "There's something I'd like to know. We passed a large construction site shortly before you... er... encountered us. Do you know anything about it?" Anona is oblivious to the possibility that maybe the Magistrate would want to keep quiet about it.
<onine> He glances at you, but remains silent. Orihime and the monk Pazu confer a moment.
<onine> "Yes.. We know of it,” she says. They look at you as if that answer was immensely satisfactory.
<Anona> "Well, more specifically, do you know /why/ somebody's building a bloody great something in the middle of nowhere?"
<onine> "It is Tepet land." Pazu says. "I don't recall which Tepet specifically however. We have tried to warn them away from the area, but we have been turned away. Land-owners have a right to construct on their land at will."
<Anona> "Tepet? How interesting."
<onine> Orihime speaks. "We have accepted the fact that people like the Immaculate Order looking around their business about as much as the All Seeing Eye. Heresy or Treason, take your pick of what you can be caught for." She smirks
<onine> "How long has the construction been there?" The magistrate asks.
<onine> The monks confer again and Pazu answers. "We are unsure. We have been...occupied. It IS recent, we can definitely say that."
<Yengo> "Occupied with these creatures, I assume? Doesn't seem like you've had great luck stopping them." He's not being hostile about it; he didn't fare too well himself.
<onine> The fire aspect glares. "No. No we haven’t. We are undermanned and ill equipped, and every monk that falls becomes on of them if we don’t have time to administer the proper rites and cremate the body."
<Magpie> "Their boss doesn't want them to get help either," Magpie volunteers, enjoying the opportunity to discredit Immaculates.
<Yengo> "Why not? If you're struggling with this, shouldn't you look for all the help you can? I would think even in these days some House would spare men to help contain these things..."
<onine> "They won’t."
<Magpie> "And they're embarrassed."
<onine> Orihime shakes her head irritated. "This isn't a valuable province, it would suit no house to waste money on it."
<Yengo> "Well-" She's probably right. "It couldn't hurt to try. Isn't it better than this?"
<onine> "Besides." Pazu adds. "Even we are ill-matched against them, and every one of us that falls can become one of them. Imagine what would happen to a house legion? These beasts don’t stand in formations, they attack with stealth and surprise. It would be handing flesh over to them"
<Magpie> "And you haven't asked other Immaculates either, you said."
<Anona> "Yet some Tepet is wasting money building something on it. Wonder if I know them."
<onine> You probably do.
<Yengo> "Maybe we should have spoken to them back there..."
<Anona> "We can always head back. Finding Magpie and Vana was important, too, you know."
*Magpie grins.
<onine> "You are going back to the Tepet land?" Orihime asks.
<Yengo> "I know," he says, a little irritated. "As for that... well, they're your family, Anona, what do you think?" He doesn't add that he doesn't hold much regard for most of them.
<Anona> "No clue. I may be family, but most of them would just as soon keep me at a distance."
<Anona> "Still, I wonder if Tany would turn up if we happened to investigate the place..."
<Magpie> "-I- think we should talk to the head monk. It's probably all his fault anyways."
<onine> "Child. Do stop this slander against the Master!" Pazu says calmly, though there is an edge in his gentle voice.
<Yengo> "Magpie!" But she might not be entirely wrong, considering how out of control the area is... He turns to the Immaculates. "If we did want to speak to him, where would we find him?"
<onine> "I'm afraid that is not possible." Pazu says. "The monastery doors are closed to all in these trying times, even the esteemed members of the Magistracy."
<onine> "We used to allow travelers respite in the courtyards, but recently...well, you understand." Orihima adds.
<Magpie> "See?"
<Anona> "There's no reason we can't do both, Magpie. Check the construction site and then visit the monastery. They may not be opening the doors normally, but... we can be persuasive when we must."
<onine> The monks exchange glances, but say nothing to respond to Anona's statement
<Magpie> Suddenly reminded of something, Magpie eases next to her. "Anona," Magpie whispers. Not particularly inaudibly. "What does 'contracting an alliance with Nellens' mean? It's why Orihime had to become an Immaculate, but I don't really understand why-"
<Anona> "Ah... we can talk about that later." *Much* later.
<onine> Magpie gets a mutual dark look from the two monks, though Orihime's glare is somewhat... hotter.
*Yengo looks between the two groups, just hoping he doesn't get caught in the middle. "In any case... Anona is right. We can at least check out the construction site while we're waiting for the monastery to open its doors." As if it's an inevitability.
<Anona> "Then let's do that."
<onine> Orihime murmurs something to Pazu
<onine> "You are going north to the construction?"
<Anona> "I intend to. Whether anyone else goes along, I can't answer.
<Magpie> "Yep," Magpie interprets.
<Yengo> "I'll come along."
<onine> "I'll send Pazu with you. I wouldn't mind finding out what is going on up there myself."
<onine> "But Ori-"
<onine> "Do it."
<onine> Pazu nods.
<Anona> "Then what are we waiting for?"
<onine> "Nothing." The magistrate stands, hefting the maul over his shoulder.
<onine> Pazu leaves the other monks to join you, evidently not happy with the decision, but dealing with it.
<onine> "Bring him back safe now." Orihime says. "He happens to be splendid company, and a valued monk."
<Anona> "Oh, I'm sure we won't run into any trouble we can't handle."
*Magpie is about to ask Orihime if she had formed an alliance with -him,- but says instead lets out a gasped "-Oww!-" as Crow lands on her shoulder and bites her, hard, on the ear. "You didn't have to do that..." she grumbles.

Trekking! Hiking! In a (*gasp*) forest! Can you tell I’m inventing reasons to add breaks?
<onine> You trek off to the north with the additional Monk, the Magistrate leads as you move off. This close to winter, the grass is yellowing and the leaves are beginning to fall. Animals gather provisions for the winter and dig their burrows.
<onine> Anyone talking to Pazu will learn that he is a big supporter of the Immaculate Faith, mortals at their station, go Dragonbloods and all that (winning points with Anona, losing them with Magpie and Yengo)
<onine> Any suggestion that the Master is even remotely unwise or evil is met with considerable resistance.
<Magpie> "Brainwashed," Magpie suggests to Yengo on one inauspicious occasion...
<Yengo> "Maybe...”

<>The construction site</b>
<onine> By about late afternoon you reach the ridge overlooking the construction in the distance, a circle maybe feet across, a stone ring around the outside and six large stone obelisk style projections evenly spaced around it (or they would be when its done, about three are up now, a forth is being moved into place by workers)
<onine> Even from here, you can hear the cracks of the whips, the ringing of tools on stone, and the rhythmic 'heave! heave! heave!' uttered by the slaves.
<onine> There is a small camp on the far side of the ring, and in the afternoon light and with the morning mist gone, you can see numerous square pits cut into the ground... to keep the slaves in at night.
*Magpie scowls down at the site.
<onine> The wind is blowing in your direction, and you hear a particularly loud slaver roar 'Get a move on you lazy sons of whores!'
*Yengo pats Magpie lightly on the shoulder, none too pleased himself. "Sounds like we're there," he says a little dryly.
<Magpie> "So do we go down or what?"
<onine> "My. It has come a long way." Pazu comments
<Anona> "Hm. Pretty quick work."
<onine> "Work is quick when the workers take no breaks." The magistrate says, shaking his head.
<Yengo> "True enough. I guess we should get going."
<Anona> "I don't know, seems like there would be too much of a risk of them dying off. That's a waste of money..."
<onine> Indeed it is. More than likely these have been loaned from House Cynis.
<onine> Or bought through favors.
<onine> Or the distant chance, bought from the guild.
<Anona> "Suppose we should find out who's running this thing." Anona starts down the hill.
*Yengo follows closely behind, paying more attention to where he puts his feet than is probably necessary.
<onine> "Then of course, there is the direct approach." The magistrate chuckles to himself.
<onine> You trek through the sparse trees to the construction side, set on a large (very large) clearing. Around fifty or so feet out, there are large wood and metal spikes dug into the ground, Yengo recognizes them easily as fortifications to halt cavalry, though usually these are only wood.
<onine> The grass around here is as dead as the rest, but inside the stone ring, there is no grass at all, just raked plain dirt.
<Yengo> "Wonder who they're worried about being attacked by... these won't do any good against those flying things."
<Anona> "Maybe some of them don't fly...?"
<onine> You also notice many guards on patrol, mortal, but well equipped with dark grey metal armour and spears. They patrol with enough frequency that it would require immense skill or charms to get in. They of course, notice you easily in the yellow afternoon light. A pair halt and aim their spears at you, and another two pairs are moving in.
<onine> "Halt! Who goes!?" One roars with great authority.
*Anona looks to Diamandus, as if to say "you, or me?" Use the family connections or drag out the beating stick of the magistrate?
<onine> "Would you like to take the lead on this one Anona?" The magistrate says quietly. "Let’s see how you perform."
*Anona nods. "I'm Tepet Anona. I wish to speak to whomever is in charge here."
<onine> "The Advisor is absent! Leave immediately, you are all tresspassing!"
<Anona> "... and THIS is Magistrate Diamandus, to whom I am serving as an archon."
<Anona> "and WE are conducting an investigation."
<onine> They step back a bit and the two that halted you argue the matter, the first one orders the other to fetch the 'Overseer' as the other four soldiers arrive, forming a rough semi-circle.
<onine> The second soldier runs of and the other five watch you all warily. They are intimidated yes, but they have the resolve of mortals with *strong* backing.
*Yengo takes a step or two back, staying close to Magpie in case the soldiers get too enthusiastic. He decides the best option for him right now is keeping his mouth shut.
<onine> After an uncomfortably long time, the soldier returns with an absolutely hulking Dragonblooded earth aspect, the size of which that makes the Magistrate look average sized. He is somewhat round bellied, but his arms are gargantuan and muscular, with rocky skin on his shoulders and forearms. He carries a massive three-headed barbed whip with him, and he looks *mad*
<onine> He has a heavy brown beard that goes halfway down his chest, and his head is bald. He looks at you and sneers annoyed. "What is this distraction."
<onine> You can hear by his voice that his is the man you heard roaring at the slaves and indicating their laziness and their collective mothers' professions.
<Anona> "As the soldiers may have told you, I am Tepet Anona, currently working for Magistrate Diamandus, here. I'm given to understand you've been working on this site for the past few months...?"
<onine> "How long we are working is none of your concern, nor is it the concern of the Magistracy. This is a legal construction on legally acquired land, there is nothing that you have that can be held against us. Go and satisfy your curiosity somewhere else."
<onine> You notice that a few more soldiers are moving over, and a lot of the slaves nearby are gawking.
<Yengo> "Well... looks like your family provided a friendly reception, Anona..."
<Anona> "Oh, I'm not debating the possible legality of the construction, although I would like to know the owner. If you don't wish to tell me, it's easy enough to find out elsewhere. No, I was rather more concerned with the flying corpses."
<onine> "The beasts bother us little, we have our defenses. Master Juno keeps us well equipped to deal with these situations. Now you have your curiosity sated - LEAVE!"
*Magpie looks up at Anona, and up and up and up at the 'Overseer'. She frowns.
*Her shoulders slump as she realizes the soldiers would see her before she got a step away.
<Yengo> "Master Juno..." he whispers
<Anona> "Eh, Yengo? Does the name ring a bell?"
<Yengo> "I.. I'm not sure..."
<Magpie> "The hilt," Magpie whispers to Yengo. “The auction.”
<Yengo> "Ah, yes, that's it..." He doesn't know how wise bringing that up in front of the Overseer would be though, so he stays silent.
<Anona> "Juno? Tepet Juno? How interesting indeed, mister Overseer sir."
<onine> He growls under his breath. "Are you done?"
<Anona> "For now, I suppose. I know whom to talk to now, and thank you oh so very much for that."
<onine> "Done? Good! NOW SOD OFF!"
<Yengo> "Yes, I think I've had enough of the friendly atmosphere around here for one day."
<onine> He turns to roar at the slaves. "GET BACK TO WORK, NO WATER FOR YOU, YOU MISERABLE PILES OF EXCREMENT!! YOU'RE NOT WORTH YOUR WEIGHT IN MANURE!"
<onine> "Get them out of here...” He mutters angrily at the guards, who escort you to the treeline at spearpoint.
<onine> They leave you there and one even has the courage to spit on the ground before they high-tail it back to the camp
*Anona makes an about-face. "What a friendly fellow."
<Magpie> "I bet I could sneak in after dark," Magpie says immediately as soon as the guards are a distance away, though what she is basing this assessment of her abilities on is unclear.
<Anona> "I don't think there will be any need to, Magpie."
<Magpie> "Oh?"
<onine> "The guard is too heavy child, you would be caught and thrown in with the work crew... at best." the magistrate says.
<Magpie> "I bet I could..." Magpie mutters ominously.
<Yengo> "I know you mean well, but I don't want you to risk yourself like that, Magpie. It's not-" he starts to say safe, but what IS? "er, wise."
<Magpie> "How else are we going to learn what this thing's for? Or even what this thing -is-."
<Magpie> "Well?" she demands.
<Yengo> "Some way that doesn't involve certain death for you." He says with exasperation.
<Anona> "We could go straight to the source, perhaps. Or ask around other people we know... besides, Magpie, I didn't think you knew that much geomancy."
<Magpie> "I know a -little-. And I bet there's a map or a plan or something."
<onine> "It is no manse, that much is certain, and it is no simple construction." The magistrate adds.
<Magpie> "Then maybe we should march into the camp and take the overseer hostage."
*Yengo snorts. "I don't know how Anona would feel about that, Magpie." Though it IS sort of tempting...
<Magpie> "-Or-....we could infiltrate the camp! Pretend to be a slave and then lead an uprising..."
<onine> "Even mortal troops are dangerous Magpie, and there are enough of them that we would likely suffer casualties attacking them"
<Magpie> "What's your plan," Magpie asks, disgruntled that they keep shooting down all of hers.
<Anona> "Well, *my* first thought would be to ask Tepet Juno, next time we see him."
<Magpie> "And when's that going to be? Besides, if you just ask, no one's going to tell you anything," Magpie says from bitter experience.
<Anona> "My second thought would be to have my army of bound demons tear the overseer limb from limb, but we haven't stayed in one place long enough for me to arrange for that."
<Magpie> "Oh. That's a good plan."
<onine> "If." Pazu speaks up. "There is no telling what will happen with all the beasts in this area, they are growing more numerous with each passing day. A simple construction is not the highest priority we should think about."
<Yengo> "I don't think there's anything we can do about the camp itself... unless the monks want to help." He looks askance at the brainwashed Pazu.
<onine> He shakes his head. "Tepet has done nothing wrong, we can't very well move against him - even if we did not have other responsibilities."
<Magpie> "But it's -really weird-. We just forget about it?"
*Magpie looks suspiciously at the Immaculate.
<onine> "Not forget." The magistrate says. "Merely concentrate on certain things in their proper order."
<onine> "As agents of the Magistracy, what is more important." He lectures. "A veritable army of beasts devouring and killing helpless farmers, or the 'modern art' of a dynast's fancy?"
<Magpie> "You mean we'll go break down the door of the monastery and talk to the Abbot now?" Magpie looks pleased.
<Yengo> "Oh, he might open when we knock."
<Anona> "Yes, he might." And yeddim might do song-and-dance numbers...
<Yengo> "Something strange is going on there, for sure."
<Yengo> "Those guards weren't just scraped up dross, they'd had Legion training."
<Anona> "Still, even if we don't have anything official, I find the recurring mention of Juno to be quite interesting. First that sword hilt, now this..."
<Magpie> "Tany works for him, doesn't he?"
<Anona> "Ah, yes, another point."
<onine> "He does." the magistrate says.
<onine> "What are you up to Juno...?" he asks the air
<Magpie> "Bad stuff I bet. They always are," Magpie nods her head vigorously, and attempts to look knowing.
<Anona> "I guess we should meet up with the remaining monks, and then perhaps trudge our way to the monastery..."
<onine> "It won’t do you much good to make the trek I fear." Pazu says. "The master likely will not speak with you, let alone allow you inside."
<Magpie> "Better to take them unaware! Beat them to the monastery. Or it'll be harder to break down the door."
<onine> "Child! There is only so much I can stand, have you no respect for the Order?"
<onine> "Magpie, hush." The magistrate warns.
*Yengo chuckles quietly behind his hand despite himself.
*Magpie subsides, eyes smoldering, and bites her lip on the accusations of kidnapping she'd been on the verge of hurling.
<Anona> "I have to agree, Magpie. I know you've had some rough experiences, but a few bad ones don't mean the entire Order is rotten."
<onine> Pazu nods, glad to have at least one half-ally
*Magpie lets out a skeptical snort, but otherwise keeps her disagreement nonverbal.
<Anona> "And the monks /do/ prefer to not interfere with mundane matters; perhaps the Abbot is not aware of the extent of the problem yet."
<onine> "The abbot is a very wise man, he has suffered so much calamity in his long life. He is confident that our temple can defeat this darkness threatening the lands we are charged to protect."
*Yengo privately wonders how well-placed that confidence is. The monks are fighting, but they also seem to be LOSING.
<Anona> "Nothing to be gained by sticking around longer. Let's go."
<onine> Indeed, it seems the abbot has a skewed view on things. Many of the monks have forgone their traditions. Many have hair - yipes, soon some may even be fraternizing to help cope with the stress!
<Yengo> "Anona's right." The sooner they're away from that voice, the better.

A week and a half later…in town…
<onine> You return with Pazu, and the monks continue on their hunt. They ask if you wish to join them, but you hash out a simple deal that they will cover the outlands, whilst those of the Magistracy cover the towns. You begin a systematic checking of the towns in the area and things are looking pretty grim.
<onine> Most of the farming communities further our are ghost towns now, you encounter similar problems there as you did in the mountains, the fallen rising to attack you like predators. On occasion you are caught in the wilds by roving packs of these beasts. For the most part they appear to be lurking in the woodlands.
<onine> Some of the towns closer to Glie are still there, but on some occasions you have passed through again to find the towns ransacked and dead, the inhabitants dead or missing.
<onine> It would seem that these creatures are eliminating the outlying towns and communities, garnering enough force to push over the main town in the area, the trading center of Glie. It is only a matter of days, perhaps weeks before they have no more towns to prey on.
<onine> On the ninth day since your investigation of the construction in the north, you reach Glie, it is alive and well.
<onine> It is a medium sized town, still built mostly out of wood, but it has the added bonus of tile roofing and the occasional cobbled street. Ringed on once side by a river, and a ridge on another, it is a nice town, nestled into the land. You make your way to the center of town, and there wait a pair of sights for sore eyes - Epheri and Tara.
<onine> Tara is looking a little haggard, but none worse for wear, she has her arm bandaged, and her dress is torn in many places - not to mention unidentifiable stains to boot.
<Magpie> "TAARRA!" Magpie shouts, and charges forward to restrict her airflow.
<onine> She hugs you back tightly. "Magpie, thank goodness you're alright!"
*Epheri gives a happy smile as she sees the group of you approach, quite relieved to see you. Epheri looks a little better than Tara, though she too sports a bandage on one arm, and her dress is not the best it has looked. "I'm glad you all made it here...it was pretty bad..out there"
<onine> "Terrible..." Tara adds. "Hello Yengo. I see Magpie kept you safe."
*Yengo looks at Tara over the top of Magpie's head, smiling though his eyes look worried over her injuries. He nods at Epheri as well. "I'm glad you're both back safe and sound."
<onine> Tara hugs Yengo gently, her arms not making it around his armour. She holds on for a bit longer than usual.
*Yengo laughs a little nervously, hugging her back. "More or less. I'm glad that- are, are you all right?"
<onine> "I'm fine." She smiles weakly, holding her bandarged arm up. "Looks like you're not the only one. Im glad Ujiro was fast as he was, or I would have been a meal."
<Yengo> "I'm glad he was, too," he says quietly, squeezing her other hand briefly. "It's good to hear that Ujiro is away, I thought that maybe he'd-" He doesn't finish the sentence.
<onine> She shakes her head slowly.
*Magpie darts around and chatters updates in an incomprehensible stream of information.. "And then there was a mongoose and a bunch of monks and I KNOW it's their abbot's fault but they don't think so and -no- one listens to me and there was a big building being built and..." and so on.
<Epheri> "Ujiro has gone to speak with the guards" Epheri informs the magistrate, speaking a little louder than usual so he can hear her above Magpie
<Magpie> "And Epheri! Guess what! Your family's up to stuff -again-!"
*Epheri sighs and thinks 'not Anona again' "We are?" she asks though
<Magpie> "Yes! Tepet Juno is building something -big-."
<onine> "Yes." Anona says. "Looks like Juno's getting a little ambitious. I don’t know what it is *yet* but I'm going to beat it out of him one way or another. By proxy of course."
*Epheri raises her eyebrows at Anona "Of course. Where exactly, anyway?"
<onine> "Some distance north of here." the magistrate answers for her. "I have yet to find the time to study the maps and get an exact idea of its location and orientation."
<Yengo> "We decided it could wait until the other problem was solved," he says, looking down at Magpie briefly. "However we plan to do THAT."
<onine> "By the looks of things, they are amassing for an attack. It is only a matter of time." the magistrate says.
*Epheri looks slightly disbelieving "And the ..things haven’t eaten them yet? They've been eating so many of the villages and towns...it's so fast...especially when the 'leader' shows up."
<Yengo> "The Leader?"
<onine> "They have organization?" The magistrate queries disbelieving. "Extraordinary."
<Epheri> "He..It...seems to show up with packs of them. Only has one leg, not that that slows him down...chains hand off from shackles about his wrists and neck."
<Epheri> "I didn’t want to believe it at first. But we kept on seeing him."
<Magpie> "The one who got away."
*Epheri tilts her head at mapgie
<Magpie> "Vana fought it," Magpie says, glancing at her.
<Yengo> "These things seem smarter than they have any right to be..."
*Epheri nods at Yengo "They are. They take over towns so fast...creeping in at night.."
<Magpie> "Do you think killing the leader would hurt them?"
*Magpie is envisioning assassination-style anti-Chief Zombie crusades...
<Yengo> "I've heard stories about Black Anathema in the Threshold... Deathknights who raise corpses to fight... but this doesn't seem like one of those." He shrugs.
*Magpie brow wrinkles, as she tries to think...
<Epheri> "I don't see how it could help them, if he were to die, though it seems to spread more like a disease than any magic spell."
<onine> "The Anathema of death, yes. No longer clad in the beautiful gold of their demon brethren, these take on even darker powers."
<Magpie> "Shells!"
<onine> "Shells?"
<Magpie> "He called the zombies 'shells'. "
<onine> "Who?"
<onine> "Who called them that?"
<Magpie> "The mongoose. I -told- you about him."
<Epheri> "Mongoose?" She looks to Yengo or Vana or anyone for some idea of what Magpie is talking about
<Yengo> "But shells for what?" He decides to ignore the rather fantastical aspects of the "mongoose" story.
<onine> The magistrate glances at the rest. "Though I may not put much stock in the mongoose tale, the idea of shells is... possible."
<Magpie> "I dunno. Maybe shells of people?"
*Yengo gives Epheri a look that seems to say "beats me." "Ghosts that take on the bodies of the living?"
*Epheri looks rather skeptical at this but then remembers the young girl she saw and the way her life was drained out of her "Perhaps."
<onine> "That is possible. They may take bodies to escape the lines of salt?"
<Yengo> "It might explain why destroying parts of the body doesn't seem to slow them down much..."
<Yengo> "We cut that one at the bridge to pieces and it recovered."
*Epheri nods slowly "Perhaps. That might be it."
<Magpie> "So what are we -going to do-?"
<Yengo> "I don't know what we can do... except wait for them. I don't know if the town can withstand a massed assault, but there doesn't seem to be any other way to stop them."
<Magpie> "We could go look at graveyards. Or talk to the abbot. Or go on an assassination mission against the hopping zombie. Or talk to the abbot..."
<Yengo> "Getting rid of the leader might slow them down... but can we find him?"
*Magpie is thrilled. "I have an idea!"
<Epheri> "All we have to do is wait near some of the few towns out there…he'll come. Eventually." She says a little tiredly.
<onine> "That may work." The magistrate says.
<onine> "If what you says is accurate, they will need all the power they can garner from the last few communities to strike down Glie effectrively."
<Yengo> "What's the idea?"
<Magpie> "Or, we can get lots and lots and -lot- of crows to go fly around and look for it. They're pretty fast, and except for a few" she gives Crow a nasty look, having not forgiven him for laughing at her this morning, "they're really smart too."
<Yengo> "Well, that would work, if we had some way to get the crows to do what we wanted. Last time I checked, though, only yours listens to you... sometimes." He smiles.
<Magpie> "Well..." Magpie sneaks a glance at Anona and the Magistrate. Unlicensed thaumaturgy is unlicensed thaumaturgy, after all.
<Magpie> "I know some summoning." Caution about the blatant illegality of an eleven year old thamaturge leads her to be more modest than she would otherwise be.
*Epheri raises an eyebrow at this, looking down at Magpie with mild disbelief.
<Yengo> "What?" He'd known she had some bond with that crow, but...
<Magpie> "My Gran was -really good- at thaumaturgy."
<onine> "Thaumaturgy...?" The magistrate raises his brow, and Tara looks at Magpie disapprovingly.
<Magpie> "So," Magpie hurries on, "I think it's a good plan."
*Yengo remembers other things, like the way she first looked at his Walkaway. Maybe her grandmother HAD taught her something.
<Epheri> "Assuming the crows can even recognize him. There are better ways." she looks to Anona
<Yengo> "It could be worth a shot... better than waiting until the hammer falls on another village."
<onine> "The ambush is more certain I think, but we may be able to use crows to scout the still-inhabited town."
<onine> "We should also evacuate as many people here as we can."
<Yengo> "Yes... we should pull back and fortify. It's been too easy for them for a long time... they get to pick and choose what village they want to cut off."
*Epheri nods at that "I really don’t want to watch another town or village succumb."
<onine> "We'll organise riders, to warn and evacuate the remaining villages. Yengo, do you remember much of fortification building from your time in the Legions?"
<Yengo> "Enough. With what we have on hand, we probably won't keep these things out entirely, but we can slow them down. Vana may know more than I do."
<onine> "Alright. We'll go to the guards' headquarters and organize riders and defenses. Anona, you and Epheri see if you can find a way to locate a reasonably defensible village they haven't attacked yet to lay our ambush."
<Magpie> "What do I do?" Magpie unwisely asks.
<onine> "Stay with Tara."
<onine> The Magistrate is reasonably confident that she wont, but there is little he can do.
<onine> He thinks a moment and says with a slight smile. "Help Anona and Epheri."
<Magpie> "Are you going to do sorcery?" Magpie asks these two eagerly.
<onine> "Vana, come with Yengo and I, your knowledge will be useful indeed. Tara, you too, we'll need to organize a field hospital I think for the evacuees."
<onine> "WE." Anona says pointedly. "Will be doing the sorcery."
<Magpie> "Oh, really? So I can help?"
<onine> "Sure you can. We'll need someone to run for supplies!" Anona grins, finally finding a use for Magpie, and tousles her hair.
*Magpie decides this is better than nothing, and she was -sure- she could find another way to contribute...
*Epheri smiles. Now she doesn’t have to fetch them.
<onine> This is what the immaculate philosophy is all about guys! Mortals fetching stuff!
<onine> "Well then." the magistrate says with finality. "Let's get moving. Destiny waits for no one."
<onine> At that, the group splits up, going about their duties to catch a monster... To be continued…