Bloody Claws: Taking the hides of Slavers(Open See note)

[Antar]

READ THIS PLEASEOpen by PM to Antar *and Eridanus* for permission to join *_* Your pm must be addressed to both at the same time. I don't want this getting to large. But Eri , is going to be taking the lead a little here . Nil will also be the primary focus too to help her flesh out her character ^-^. If there's a scene going with the little cat, let it happen and join in for some fun.

Currently open to: Nil, Eridanus,Ihnar,Shai, Zandelia(if she wants to be) others should pm.

78th of Fall, 511av

The west hills of Sunberth were notorious from all acounts as a crossroads of the most nefarious sort. Slavers and caravans bravely made their way out of Sunberth, south along the roads and then to the far journey west. It was an infamous place to be sure, a place which was just as dangerous as it it was profitable to ship goods through without the bane of 'zeltivan' taxes. Merchants leaving the city carried goods and items from the warehouses out to brave the rounds amongst the major cities. And the goods coming back were prime stock, of raided slaves, and slaving parties were known to press Zeltivan's land based guards to their highest alerts sometimes as they raided travelers.

Well, it was one historic reason why the Zeltivans hadn't spread, besides that their main source of food was through their ports. Farmlands, around that area were scarce. But not in sunberth. The difference in Sunberth was that most of the ancient farmlands which had stretched all across these hills before the valterrian had been reclaimed by the wild, even as the population of the town had dwindled to approximately a little more then a mere thirteen thousand inhabitants.

Enough numbers that even common violence was ill capable of replacing the population that constantly rutted themselves in chaos. Antar was overlooking the road now, waiting as he stroked the hair of a very short child in front of him clothed and girded in child sized armor. Nothing but the best for one so young. At his side, Shai, the willow like spider, the only symenestra which had caught his eye was standing nearby. Watching the hills below. The child whose head he had patted had come into their lives rather recently. A child kelvic named Nil, and they both had seemed to take a shine to her. Ellise, his kelvic falcon was present as well, with her staying in falcon form upon his shoulder.

Over the Fall, she had slowly become acquainted to his presence and would flee back to him when she needed solace or support, and he viewed her fragile mind as a pet. She had just arrived back and changed shape to relay a message before changing back in a haze of light to perch upon his shoulder.

He was here to exact a bit of revenge, and an end to a little creature being hunted, but he was not alone. No, never alone. Not now.

Antar looked towards the men and women who had their own agenda here, men and women who had followed the fervor of a single man which brought them along when Antar said he had gained some Intelligence vital towards their growing ire at a group of smaller slavers. Slavers who's last successful caravan would be coming back soon. Ellise had said she had spotted what looked to be them coming back along the hillside road. A slavers caravan with two badly set upon kelvics which matched Nil's descriptions of her parents.

Eridanus was leading them today, and that was fine for Antar.

He would merely turn to Eridanus and ask as he reached one arm up to steady his hand on Nil's shoulder , "Are you sure you'll be ready in the bell it will take for them to get here? We should not care to injure the other slaver parties which may return as well. That would sink us all into a hornet's nest. It's just this one that we must target. No more this day. We have to make it seem like a regular bandit attack. Do you understand?"

He waited for the other man to step in, and take charge and more importantly, begin to address a plan of action with the others. Eridanus was the one leading him today... Antar would stay in the background assisting where he was needed or where he could do the most good. He turned towards Shai to give her a small reassuring nod with a slight smile. She seemed to have a slight discomfort for the perilous situations, and then was fine by him. Her presence here was more then enough to know he had an ally at his back... perhaps his thoughts meandered for a moment, a little something more.

For all he knew he might not even step a single step from where he was standing. He was adamant in his position that Eridanus was leading the pack today.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus stepped forward, grimly admiring the view they had from their superior vantage point. He had just been informed by Antar - who had just received some intelligence from his kelvic scout - that their target would be approaching in about a bell. In a bell's time, there would be a blood bath, and it was ironic that he found himself in this situation. It was only about a third of a season ago when he and Zenai met the rogue in an odd job gone wrong, and they found themselves ambushed by a raiding party because of an informant. Now, four weeks after that event, and he found himself, again with Antar and Zenai, in the woods, but this time the positions were reversed. He was the hunter, and his prey would be the slave caravans that would be approaching the crossroads that led back to Sunberth. Not all of it actually, for they actually had a single target in mind, for they could not hope to take on everyone. It was not long ago that Antar had approached him with a request to organize a hit on a certain slave merchant, and he was sure that it was somehow related to the kelvic who currently stood in front of the rogue. They had formed some sort of brotherhood after having survived a life-and-death situation because of trust in each other, and they had also kept in contact after the incident, with Antar eventually trusting the Vantha enough to refer him to his mentor in magic, Eryss Waldu, that resulted in him being initiated safely into Reimancy. Eri had agreed, and he spent many days juggling his job as a runner for Tua, and at the same time seeking information, gathering intelligence, collecting data. It was with great difficulty, with hours and days of haggling, persuasion, trading favours, blackmail, intimidation and even a touch of seduction that he finally got the data he needed to organize the strike. After that, it was a matter of bringing together a team. A team that he could trust not to leak the plan, for it would end up invariably deadly for the rest of the team should any of the slavers caught wind of the plan. The main reason why it took so long for him to gather the information he needed was the need to be discreet and so he had do be ridiculously long-winded in the way he procured the required data in order to not draw attention. More importantly, he needed a team that he could trust to always watch his back. Eri looked behind, a curt smile of satisfaction as he surveyed his comrades. He had personally and carefully hand picked each and every single one of his team, knowing that they bring their own vital skill sets to the group, and more importantly the chemistry and teamwork they already had that would be crucial to the success of their mission. Zenai, a failed knight and current merchant guard who happened to be working against the protocol of his normal job. A good friend, one who shared similar values with Eridanus, and one he knew who could hold his own in combat. Along with Antar's own group of himself, Shai and the kelvic who looked like she would be ferocious in combat, they formed the bulk of the assault party. One of the other members that Eri chose was Dhalvasha, a Symenestra doctor who specialized in poisons and who happened to had a touch of hypnotism. The symenestra had initially found the Vantha sprawled on the floor of the alley, touched by sickness and weakened by poison, and after a short barter had agreed on a deal where he would nurse Eri back to health in exchange for knowledge. The time they had to spend together invariably caused the spider to pour his heart out to Eri, who was an excellent listener, and after Eri was returned to the pink of health, and their training sessions together, their bond got strong enough for the Vantha to consider the doctor as one of his friends. The last one was Zandelia, a fellow word-runner and a strong-willed, independent and crafty woman with a thirst for knowledge and the suitable motivation to acquire it like Eri. They had met in the library seemingly by random, but through their many mutual friends as well as further interactions had developed mutual respect for each other. The last two of his team were with their target. A strategy Eri picked up from the bandits who ambushed him a not long ago, he had used the intelligence he painstaking gathered to carefully plant Dhalv and Zand as part of the convoy. Dhalv's skills were in great need, for he was lesser of the two evils if one were to compare to the insane Petricious, for his diagnosis and assessment of the health of the slaves would be important information for the merchants. His skilled use of hypnotism on their targets, combined with Zand's ability to appeal to the weakness of mortal men, helped to ensure that she could be included in the group, in order to protect the spider if required as he lacked combat skills. The two of them had been invaluable in ferreting out more guarded details that Eri could not gather on his own, and that led to them knowing the exact route and timing of the caravan. The most important thing about their job was to delay their particular convoy such that they were the absolute last of the entire batch of slave merchants, and paced at least twenty chimes behind the rest of the merchant caravans. He hoped that they would be able to succeed, for their ability in doing so was paramount to the success of their strike. As the last convoy, they would be able to ambush the slavers without fear of help from other merchant caravans. Of course, without any survivors the other merchants would simply chalk it up to an unfortunate bandit attack. Eri had briefed the group earlier on their plan, and so he passed on Antar's observation that they had about a bell left before the start of their operation, and he advised the group to finish up whatever preparations they needed to do before the moment of judgement. There was nothing further they could do now except to trust in Zand and Dhalv's ability, and wait.

Mission Brief :

Assault Party

Antar, Nil, Shai, Eri, Zenai

Infiltration Team

Zandelia, Dhalv

Enemy Detachments	Units	Remarks
Point Caravan	Driver A (Whip 40), Guard A (Longbow 30, Cutlass 15), Guard B (Axe 30), Guard C (Scimitar 30), Slaver Leader (Great Sword 45, Unarmed 20)	Assistant Slave Merchant (Gladius 15), Route Navigator (Dagger 20)
Main Caravan	Driver B (Short Sword 20), Guard D (Chained Mace 30), Guard E (Bastard Sword 30)	Zandelia (auxiliary staff), Slave Merchant (Kukri 20), Merchant Secretary (Unarmed 10)
Slave Caravan I	Driver C (Light Crossbow 20, Gladius 10), Guard F (Scythe 30), Guard G (Flamberge 30)	Dhalv (medical staff), Assortment of slaves
Slave Caravan II	Driver D (Longbow 20, Sickle 15), Guard H (Shortbow 30, Flametongue 20), Slaver Deputy (Reimancy 40, Long Sword 20)	Assortment of slaves

Misc Info:
1) 2 horses are attached to each wagon, with the driver seated at the front of the wagon directing these horses. The first wagon has the Route Navigator sitting alongside the driver.

2) The civilians are wearing Padded Armour. Guards are all wearing Chainmail. Slaver Leader wears Breastplate. Slaver Deputy wears Armoured Robes. Drivers wear Leather Armour.

3) The civilians (is the merchants) are all inside the caravans. The caravan speed is at a slow trotting pace, for they are fast reaching their destination and so there's no rush (or maybe cause of Zand and Dhalv's plan xD). Therefore the guards are all walking alongside the wagon. Not all the guards are outside, they do shifts and so some are inside the various wagons resting while the ones on-duty walk.

4) This merchant specializes in kelvic slaves, and so the slaves are all locked in their kelvic forms in minimal sized cages with various metal bands over their necks to prevent them from shifting. The cages are all stacked neatly on top of another in the slave wagons. The kelvics are mostly small animals, but there are a few larger ones (hint-hint) that are either in their human or kelvic form, depending which is smaller. These are similarly treated like animals and chained/locked in larger cages that would minimally fit them.

OOC NoteI intentionally left the plan blank so that we can collectively plan and execute together. Do your intro posts each and we'll get to the action. For Zand and Dhalv, your intro posts should also include whatever you've done before as part of your infiltration. Note that the data above is the latest that Eri knew, but only Zand and Dhalv will know the actual data since they're there. OOCily this means that the two of them are allowed to change the numbers of the convoy.

Posting OrderYour posting order will be decided in this introduction round

[Zenai]

When Eridanus asked Zenai to join his little venture, he honestly had his doubts. One does simply take on a whole caravan without adequate preparation. Zenai had reminded Eridanus about that odd job gone wrong but the Vantha had assured Zenai all the necessary precautions were taken and that Zenai was needed to increase the chances of them successfully pulling off this raid against a slave merchant’s caravan. Zenai also had his “code” of ethics to consider; on one hand, he was destined to be either a Syliran Knight or an Inarta Endal and though he failed at both, the notion of true goodness burns within him and demanded that Zenai assists Eridanus in this noble quest but on the other hand, he was a Tagger, one of Old Legs’ guards who were hired out to merchants to escort their goods whether they be food or slaves to the ships that would export them. Zenai told Eridanus he would need time to consider and asked Eridanus to come back after a couple of days. There was a conflict of interest within his that kept his mind occupied for the better of the two days. Of course, he kept his mind on his current job too. He nearly let a wagon fell into a pit that was dug mysteriously.

Eridanus had come again asking whether Zenai had made his decision. Truth to be told, he didn’t exactly made his choice yet but the thought of the times he went through with Eridanus has suddenly weighed on him. There’s also Zenai’s interest in acquiring a horse for himself. He wanted to get one from Killroy but he heard he was a dirty scammer and zenai would be better off stealing one. Surely these slaver merchants and their wagons would be pulled by horses. Horses that Zenai could liberate alongside the slaves the slavers would have with them. Slavers were bad people who were bad to people. If they were bad to people, they surely weren’t any good to their own horses. That is how Zenai justified joining Eridanus raid; he wanted to liberate a horse for himself. Eridanus had his face in his palm when Zenai had agreed to join the raid if he can have one of the horses for himself. Maybe it was Sunberth getting to him but Zenai was sure it was the right thing to do anyway. He was also sure that the other Taggers did their own thing on their own time. Anyway, these slavers are outside of Sunberth and quite well away from the warehouses and docks. To Zenai, they were free game thus a free horse.

Eridanus had gathered the right people for the right task. First, there was Eridanus himself who is leading the ragtag bunch of raiders. He was determined and people were willing to listen to his swords. He was pretty much leadership material. Then there’s Antar who Zenai had the pleasure of working with during that same odd job he did with Eridanus. The ranger would surely add some serious combat capabilities and kill more than his fair share of slavers. To Zenai, Antar seemed to have something to hide but Zenai let him has his secrets and asked no further. Of course, there was Shai; a Symenestra who has taken a path of crime and Zenai had to get between a thief and her loot many days ago. Since then, Zenai had kept an eye out for her but suspected that she has learnt her lesson to not mess with him or the caravans that he escorted. Then there’s this girl, Nil; a Kelvic who seemed to entered the heart and mind of most of them. Zenai didn’t get it; she was just a cute little girl who had her parents captured by slavers. The same slavers that they were going to raid and assumingly rescue her parents from. Of course, Eridanus had his own agenda.

Zenai admired Eridanus for his bravery and look at himself with disgust. He was still bound by obligations and fears which Eridanus seemed to have none of that. Zenai thought back when he ran from destinies that most would were willing to die for; a chance to become a Syliran Knight and an Inarta Endal. Zenai pushed the thoughts and guilt back into its prison. He was not willing to be depressed over it now. He had an important job to do and he wants his all of his focus on it. There’s another thing that Zenai admired about Eridanus; his intentions were always noble, to Zenai anyway and he does what he wants to do, thinking nothing of the consequences. He was the example of a free person, free from anything that would hold him from his desires. Luckily, Eridanus had a conscience otherwise anyone else with his mindset would set everything and everyone on fire. However, is it wrong for Zenai to cater to his dark side; to satisfy his lust, greed and gluttony? Zenai doesn’t think so and was pretty sure he kept those sins adequately sated. Everything in moderation; that what Mizahar needs i.e. a balance of everything.

Confident that they were alone and well hidden, Zenai started the conversation: “I assume you have a plan, Eridanus.” Zenai asked his friend. “You did tell me that you did your homework and should know the caravan’s details inside and out.” Zenai waited for Eridanus to answer Zenai’s rhetorical question before continuing on, “You also know what I want from this right?” He lets the question sink in. “Honor and Glory as well as a horse that I would to liberate and keep for myself.” He probably looks a lot less noble and knightly with that last part but he was sure the others had hidden intentions as well. Zenai suggested, “I assume we would need to disable the first wagon so the other wagons would either be slowed down and would need to go around that disabled wagon or need to wait and help out their allies in the first wagon.” It would be standard protocol for those guarding and escorting wagons to keep the caravans moving and any delay would only increase the chances of being ambushed and being bogged down. If they were stopped in their tracks, they would either need to put up a defensive position or abandon the damaged wagon and leaving it to be looted. However, this was his view as a guard and wondered if anyone else had an opinion on the matter.

[Ihnar]

Ihnar watched Eri from a distance. The little pycon had been following Eri all the way to the western hills.
He really didn't know why he still had the urge to follow people around, Sunberth being so dangerous. It all originated from the times in Syliras when he had been too timid to ask people to teach him stuff. So he had just silently followed people around, absorbing every bit of knowledge he could from their actions. Perhaps he broke the cautious aproach to sunberth, because a bit of him was still afraid that Eri would desert him.

Following the man had been hard. Constantly Ihnar had had to hide, due to other people passing by. He really had not wanted to be seen... even by Eri. Thus he had kept a safe distance to his target. Occasionally he had lost sight of Eri, having to bolt forward as fast as he could, until he was able to see Eri again. Moments like these had been truly challenging to his faith, as a part of him was afraid of getting lost, as he also couldn't remember what way he had came from.

Now he sat by some bushes, watching Eri talk to some men. Ihnar had not expected there to be other people here. There was a fair amount of tension in the air. He could nearly feel it on his clay skin. Was there going to be trouble? Possibly a fight amongst the men? He didn't like the idea of that. If one of these guys would kill Eri, he would be oh so alone in this dangerous city. The pycon observed the other men. Both human. Tall, like everyone he seemed to meet. Ihnar muttered a silent curse in his head, aimed at his shortness. Actually he didn't even know what the word had meant. He had just heard people saying it on the streets, and now for some reason found his mind doing so.

The more he looked at the men, the more sure he was, that if there was a fight, it would not be between these men. Eri would have looked more tense, had that been the case. Now the problem was, should he go out there? Obviously his target had reached it's destination, so just sitting there and looking stupid didn't seem very clever. But then again, back in Syliras, most people had shook their fists at him and shouted at him to go away, when he had been caught following them. He really didn't want to see anyone (especially Eri) angry at him. Perhaps it was the time to just turn back and head to the library.

Ihnar got up and turned around to leave the hills. Just as he took his first steps he realized something. He still had no idea what way would take him to the library. Running around lost in Sunberth didn't seem like a good option. Slave merchants, drunkards and thugs. Not an ideal place for a defenseless pycon wandering alone. Having come to this point, his only option was to go out there and see if Eri could help him.

The pycon started to make his way to the place where the men were standing. About half way there he started to panic. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. See? Eri is standing there. He won't let them hurt you.
Ihnar held his breath in and took a few more steps, stepping on dried up stick, letting out a loud crunch. They didn't hear that. No no no.
The pycon froze and stared at the men, trying to determine if they had heard him. If the two others would have, would they think of him as an intruder? It would be a lot safer if he just ran to Eri now.
If the others would see him be familiar with Eri, they would surely not think of him as an enemy.

Ihnar swallowed and bolted at Eri. Just as he was going to stop he noticed he could not do so.... Fall. It was fall. The ground was always a bit wet in fall. And he was made of clay, which made him slippery like a piece of soap. The pycon flailed his arms around as he awkwardly bumped straight in to Eri's leg.

' ... H..h-hello.' Ihnar stuttered at the three men, while still clinging on to Eris leg. '...What is g-going on?' The pycon whispered, mainly pointing his question at Eri.
Such a smooth entrance. Ihnar wished he had just stayed back in the library, reading books.

[Shai]

Shai slipped her hands into each of the pockets in her cloak. The contents never changed but she wanted to make sure everything was in its exact spot. Even though her job in this venture didn’t involve her actually fighting she was still nervous. The spider preferred ambushes or defenseless targets, anyone who could hit back could break her. Luckily, her job today was to get in after the fighting had begun and release the captives. It would be tricky to keep her concentration with the chaos around her but it had to be done, failure in this case could be catastrophic. Failing to crack the locks fast enough could mean their raid was stumbled upon by another trade caravan. It could also mean failing to save Nils family which Shai would not allow to happen.

The last compartment the thief’s claws touched on held her skeleton keys, she was always nervous about using them. A skeleton key was a gamble and potentially a waste of time, but Shai had no information on the type of locks she would be facing so it was good to keep them on hand.

Reaching down she patted Nils on the shoulder and whispered to her, “Nils as soon as you see your parents you must point them out to me. I will release their confinements first.” The little creature had won Shai’s affection almost instantly even though the magic of her transformation still set Shai on edge. The spider wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to magic, Hypnotism was one thing the Symenestra used it occasionally on the surrogates but fire balls and swirling lights that transformed little girls in cats was a whole different story. Odd that the two people she considered her greatest allies of this small forest group were the only two she’d seen perform magic.

Zandelia, in the scouting party, would be the third she could trust, under most circumstances, to not crush her. Zenai, she knew could be lethal but couldn’t bring herself to trust the guard. Eridanus was almost a complete mystery and whatever that tiny creature was seemed like trouble, running statues screamed of magic.

For all that she didn’t trust some members of the team, there was only one among their numbers that sincerely perturbed her. Dhalvasha Hysal, why are you here? The last person Shai ever expected to encounter again, right here, in Sunberth and he had somehow he had managed to gain mutual acquaintances with her. When the thief had first heard the doctor’s name mentioned she accepted that it was probably just a stranger with the same name, it had been a rude awakening to discover he was the exact Symenestra she’d know almost all her life. Shai had fled across Mizahar to avoid recognition for her web and the only man who could still recognize her by both of her web affiliation finds her, completely on accident. It hadn’t taken much thought before she had decided to simply ignore his presence as much as possible; she had nothing civil to say to him and no desire to place their past on display for her current companions.

[Dhalvasha]

The smell of horses was sickeningly familiar. The plains of Endrykas had been thick with the animal musk and now, tucked cautiously between hard-scarred men, it was almost all he could fathom. Of course, horses weren't the only creatures familiar to him. The pitiful slaves in each caravan, quiet things that held each other in huddled pity, they reminded him of the surrogates. It was their fate to die so others could live, always the lot of a slave. Honestly, Dhalvasha could find little wrong with the practice. From a Symenestra's standpoint, taking women was essential for the purity of race survival. Not that Dhalvasha was an avid supporter of the fatalistic practice, but he understood its necessity. Slavery was only a means to an end, unpaid work waiting in each whip scoured body.

Still, he wasn't here to turn a profit.

It was the fifth time the horses had stopped, panting creatures burdened by cages and a healthy dose of Symenestra venom saved for just such an occasion. It wasn't enough to kill the beasts, just enough to steal the strength from their stride and slow the slaving caravan to a crawl.

Raithus snarled through a dismissive spit beside the wagon and swung out of his seat. Dhalvasha watched the human slog through the mud to reach him, momentarily amused by the efforts the one eyed bandit went through to keep his fine leather boots from accruing too much sediment.

"Horses are sick, fix em." he commanded, a crude excuse for a slaver but then and again, how few of them held themselves to any standards at all.

Dhalvasha blinked at him slowly, taking measure of his stupidity for a long moment before answering. "I'm a doctor, not a Drykas or Veterinarian." He held up his Healer's kit wrly, turning it in his hands. "I'm here to assure you of your health, but the health of your beasts is the responsibility of the man who bought them."

Raithus was hesitant, obviously frustrated with the sheer delay of time to destination. It would have been easy to force the surgeon to attend to the slower horses, but it would arrest progress entirely...perhaps for the rest of the day.

The shipment was late as it was.

Raithus grimaced instead, taking his place in the forward most wagon winding along the Sunberth road.

"Petching waste of time."

Dhalvasha refrained from sardonically assaulting the man, reminding himself that his part here was not strictly as a doctor.

Already he had utilized his talents to promote a plan he wasn't entirely sure would work. The driver was taking it easier on the horses than his nature might otherwise dictate. On a seat beside him, the Symenestra wove his personal aura between his fingers, introducing surges of Hypnotism at fixed intervals to keep his demeanor calm and imprinting the repeated mantra of how poorly the Slavemaster would react if one of the horses was to keel over and die.

That, and that alone, seemed to keep the driver from urging a faster trot.

Zandelia was somewhere behind him, fixed on another wagon with a group of equally hairy and smelly men. Her hygiene, mixed with her competence, was part of the assurance Dhalvasha had that the plan would succeed. It was his introduction to the slavers that had brokered them the success of this venture, and naming Zandelia his paid bodyguard ensured her infiltration. What slaver turned down a hired hand that required no payment?

A little bit of Hypnotism, applied gently to the Slavemaster's thought pattern, had made the deal a bit more favorable. Although Dhalvasha sometimes struggled with the discipline, keeping a wary eye on the dangers of Overgiving, adding that extra bit of emphasis on the necessity of a favorably priced Doctor to ensure the cargo was in perfect shape certainly did not detriment the venture.

Now they plodded toward the position.

Dhalvasha tucked himself back agains the barbarian beside him, retrieving a vial from within his clothes and applying the clear liquid to his claws gently. Dabbing it more like, coating the black richness of his meticulously sharpened weapons.

The driver glanced over at him, a gruff man hunched over the reigns. Davik was the second man, a procurer of no small repute. The Symenestra could learn a thing or two from the brutish fellow and it made Dhalvasha wonder if perhaps one day the dwindling Symenestra would eschew all responsibility and pay men to bring them their daughters.

It was a surprisingly loathsome thought.

Zandelia would know her purpose when the trap was sprung. Personally, Dhalvasha would claim a single kill, liberating the keys from the man beside him and releasing the slaves. Certainly such beaten creatures would take some heart in turning on their masters, but personally the Symenestra was counting on the confusion.

In a true fight, he fared poorly. To be hit was to suffer shattered bones and he hadn't the time to nurse back to health while his work remained untouched.

"What the petch you doin there?" the driver asked, wrinkling his nose, "Gods awful smell."

Dhalvasha looked up, almost surprised. He didn't find the smell repugnant, although producing it from birth might have likened his senses to it. He caught the man's eyes, Djed lancing out across the space between them. It was ease and calm the Symenestra imparted on the driver, a mantra of repeating calming dialogue. The doctor was somewhat unsettling, of course, but he had shown no penchant for violence before and certainly did not seem a threat. Seizing on this thought, Dhalvasha surgically raised the importance of such a thought till the tension eased from the driver's shoulders and the look of suspicion became more interested than worried.

"I perform surgeries with these claws," Dhalvasha answered, raising an eyebrow, "As such I must apply a Symenestran disinfectant to save my patients from possible following illness."

The driver responded a growl of approval before turning his eyes on the road again and Dhalvasha finished applying the starved Symenestra venom to the claws on his right hand.

He might have whistled, had he known a jaunty tune, but instead silence spurred him on...a symphony of noiseless interaction with the world around him, the song which lent such practice to his strokes.

Eridanus said there would be more on this operation.

Fair enough.

He sincerely hoped the man had warned the others who was friend and who was foe.

[Zandelia]

The caravan was cramped, though not through an abundance of human flesh for there were only three people ensconced within its wooden walls, for which Zandelia was mightily grateful indeed. She had spent much of the last few days associating with slavers, the very people she itched to send to their deaths, as horribly as she possibly could at that. It had tested her skills to their very thresholds, fording a mental discipline upon her that she was not entirely familiar with. She knew the value of biding one’s time, the stalking of the correct moment and the rigours of planning a pre-meditated event however her innate rage and disgust of the men that had surrounded her the past week had threatened all too many times to ruin their plans. Her acting talents had served her well, such as they were, and had helped to contain her true nature behind the façade of a helpful and demure medical assistant. Now she sat with a slaver merchant, one a kindred spirit of degrade and his name well known to her mind – Hartok. His secretary sat but an arm’s length away and was deep in thought over what Zandelia had grown to know were Hartok’s business ledgers.

Hartok the cruel some call him, his nature as vicious as they come. He would happily butcher a slave before the eyes of the others with his bare hands just to make them all toe his line and dance to his tune. Bastard won’t get another chance after this day she thought to herself with some satisfaction as she smiled and listened to his words pour outwards like a never ending sea of sewage.

“Oh master Hartok, I could never be of any help to you sir. I have enough trouble helping out my current master. Such a clumsy woman I am, scolded something awful every day. You couldn’t possibly need me great master” she put on an air of innocence at his latest attempt to obtain her services, services she was sure would cause a visceral reaction should he mention their true nature aloud. He had suggested it ever day since he had laid eyes on her, offering her ludicrous gifts in exchange for her employment and she knew all too well where such things led. She was only thankful that he had not tried to force himself upon her.

She could not blame him, however, not after she had spent most of her time carefully crafting such an interest in her from him, interests that she knew had gained her much in terms of succeeding at their little raid this day. She had been able to move around without hindrance since that first day she had walked into the camp and let her feminine wiles work their charms upon Hartok. Her blouse had been ruffled, her hair tousled and a streak of dirt across one cheek. She had arranged her corset until it had been almost bursting open and her blouse had been barely buttoned. All had been able to see her curves and all had held envy for Hartok when he had claimed her for himself. All that it had taken afterwards to keep the possibility of a laiason in his grubby little mind alive were a few strokes of his shoulder, the inherently accentuated hip movement as she walked and a naively demure nature that spoke to Hartok’s soul and caused a need for him to ruin it. He was a simple man to manipulate, but a dangerous one.

“Oh my girl, I could think of a few things you would be perfect for if you would just but let me show you” he all but drooled at her, placing his arm around her waist and getting a good feel of her cleavage at that.

“I could not imagine what you would mean!” she giggled out loud, her cheeks flushing red with rage that was mistaken for a blush, spurring the man onwards further as she let his arm stay around her with barely restrained lethality coursing through her.

I’m going to gut this bloated pig and feed him to his own fucking slaves! she raged to herself as she kept up her façade.

She let his words wash over her, heedless of what was being said for the most part and concentrating more on the mission at hand and the stages she had ensured had been accomplished already. Dhalvasha had given her a couple of vials of his venom, all the more potent for his self-imposed starvation. Their plans had been well thought out ones, gradual in their cunning deceptions so as to raise as little suspicion as possible up until the endgame had begun. He had ensured the poisoning of the two horses dragging his caravan and had left Zandelia to ensure the other two caravans beasts of burden were also stalled in their strengths by his venom. She had managed it with small doses mixed into their oats and water, the minute amounts gradually adding up until they were now merely walking slowly though the drivers pushed them ever harder. She had noted the two drivers becoming far more enraged as their caravans lurched further and further behind the main group. None had seemed to cry of foul play as of yet, though it was more of a fragile hope than anything else that they wouldn’t.

Which was why I’ve been splitting my seductions between three men, the petching harlot I am for now she thought to herself morosely. She had never imagined that her past treatment as a sexual slave would serve her well in her current life but the mental walls that she had built up around her had enabled her to sleep with both of the drivers already, though she drew the line at Hartok, even for the rescue of slaves. She was, to all intents and purposes, solely responsible for those two caravan drivers not being suspicious and being in high spirits.

She leant her head on Hartok’s shoulder and gazed up vapidly into his eyes, her hand left hand placed tactically upon his chest for when it would be time to strike. He continued to espouse his philosophy upon life, mere brutalities garnished with flowers to her mind, as she played the role of simpering and enraptured carnal potentiality. She merely hoped that what she had forced herself to do would be known by no others, her dark secrets taken to her grave after she had dealt with her self-loathing at a suitable time in the future.

“Oh Hartok, I’m sure that if I have my own way I will make this the day you remember for the rest of your life. I would so love to know what I could achieve with you” she sighed into the general atmosphere, the secretary scoffing into his ledgers. She did not care overly much, her duplicitous words would become all too apparent to them both shortly.

[Nil'Anon]

Nil’Anon stood next to the spider-woman she knew as Auntie Shai, listening both to what the woman and Uncle Noth had to say. She didn’t have their intelligence, their need to make such complicated plans, so simple instructions were easiest for her. She would stay close to Shai for this raid, and she would point out her parents to the woman so that she would be able to release them. Beyond that, Nil wasn’t positive what her role was, other than continuing to stay close to Shai. Though, perhaps that was her own concept or understanding of what she was supposed to do in her effort to contribute to the plan. She really didn’t understand this need for complex scenarios, for her less intelligent mind, the plan should consist of the following: attack the bad people, free the good people, leave. She wasn’t entirely sure why there were so many other people involved, other than possibly the need to have a larger number to intimidate the bad guys. That was how it worked in the animal world. The larger animal or the larger group of animals intimidated the smaller individual or the smaller group.

She was really only there to free her parents, and make sure that the bad men didn’t come looking for her, according to Uncle Noth. It would be bad if the slavers came looking for her in order to get her and their money back, but if the slavers who had taken her were dead, they couldn’t come after her again, right? That would be good. Her attention turned back to those gathered around her as she waited for this raid to begin. She was familiar with some of those gathered, and some mainly meant Noth and Shai. The one named Zenai didn’t seem too interested in her, so she avoided them. The Eridanus man seemed pre-occupied with organizing things, so she didn’t pay him much mind either. Most of her attention was focused on waiting for Shai or Antar to give her a signal that things were starting. She fidgeted in her spot next to the spider woman, shifting from one foot to the other, her slightly too large armor hanging loosely around her frame, she hated the armor and she was sure there was reason that she hated it other than hating clothing in general. Nil looked up at the ‘adults’ around her, “Is it time yet? Is it,” she asked quietly.

[Eridanus]

oocScratch my previous comments regarding posting order. Since each round of posts more or less happened at the same time, feel free to just post once per round. This is also to make things more efficient so everyone doesn't wait for everyone

Eri nodded in assent to Zenai's suggestion. The road would begin to get pretty narrow in between the two cliffs that they were stationed at, and if they disabled the first wagon the rest would be having trouble continuing on to the city to seek aid. Antar's falcon came back from its scouting round again to report that there were only two groups of caravans passing by, and the one that Zandelia and Dhalvasha were on seemed to be the straggler behind. That was perfect, and he checked over his equipment to ensure they were in working order, especially the heavy crossbow strapped on his back, as they waited.

Earlier Ihnar managed to follow him here, and he had sighed. It would be troublesome for his pycon friend to get involved in the upcoming battle, and he had immediately excused himself from the group to bring the pycon to a side. Quickly filling the pycon in on the details, he wanted to impress upon his new friend that the danger that would be coming next, and he did not want to lose his focus from the main goal if his friend got into danger. Whatever the pycon decide to do next would be his decision, but Eri wanted to make sure the pycon walked in with his eyes wide open.

More chimes later the second last slaver caravan passed by the cliff without incident. If what the falcon saw was correct, it meant that the agents he planted in their target's group were successful in ensuring that they were the last group to arrive. So far everything had been going along as expected to their meticulous plans, and if they played their cards right it would be a smooth raid.

He wanted to get some preparations under-way, for there must always be contingency plans. Just because luck had been smiling on them til now did not mean that they would get their way later. Tapping on Antar's shoulder, he would ask the rogue to send someone up ahead to act as a forward scout to warn them should the caravan arrive faster than it should. He would ask him to then join him on the road below, and he carefully climbed down the face of the cliff their group was hidden on to reach the part of the road that was their designated kill-zone.

Taking out his assassin's dagger, he would begin to stab into the ground and carve out a huge circle that would more or less engulf the dirt road leading between the two cliffs. This would be the basis of the huge focus glyph he was intending to carve. When Antar joined him he would ask the rogue to lend his superior knowledge of both glyphing and reimancy to aid in his plan. They would carve a series of glyphs that basically consisted of a focus, barrier and trigger sigil. What they put into the focus sigil probably did not matter, as long as it could cause a suitable distraction for the caravan. In the event that they were unable to stop the first wagon with projectile attacks the glyph would serve as an alternate plan. They could not allow the procession to speed pass their kill-zone or everything would go to hell.

When he was sure that Antar understood what they were trying to do, he would let the rogue direct their efforts in forming the glyph on the floor. He needed all the advantages they could get, and it was fortunate that Antar had superior proficiency and knowledge in this regard. He would help out with the creation of any additional glyphs the rogue deemed necessary for their plan to work and to help him in creating res and fire to place into the focus sigil so as not to tire him out too much if he were the only one contributing spells. Antar would decide the appropriate trigger and to add any improvements onto the concept of his glyph, and Eri would defer to this authority in this matter.

When they were done, he would lump some grass and dirt inconspicuously on the road so that the shape of the glyph would not be so obvious to the approaching caravan. Finally, he let Antar inspect the final glyph and he would quickly bound up to where their forward scout was stationed to bring them back to their original places up the cliff. When the group was gathered there again, he would take out his crossbow and signal to Antar and Zenai to do the same. They were the only ones in the group who had any form of ranged weaponry, and he intended to fully exploit whatever advantages they had.

Next would be waiting, and he picked out a good hiding spot in one of the ridges that overlooked their kill-zone. He fully expected Antar and Zenai to do the same, and he laid on his belly comfortably, placing the crossbow in front of him. Looking around, he found a moderate-sized boulder that he placed in front of him that would serve as his bracing-point from which he could aim his crossbow from, and he rested his crossbow on it, looking far into the distance and awaiting the next step. Being the superior archer of the group, Antar would be responsible for taking down the driver of the first wagon, failing which their glyph would come into play. He and Zenai would attempt to take out the drivers of the other wagons to stall the procession, but there were no guarantees they would be able to land a hit due to the lack of familiarity with their weapons. Still, if a chance was all they got Eri would take it.

More time passed, and Eri could swear that the chimes seemed more like bells as they waited cautiously. Had the caravan stopped further back? Did Zandelia and Dhalvasha encounter something they did not expect? The noise of hoofs on the ground from the distance calmed the vantha as he squinted to find approaching shapes that gradually got bigger.

Any moment now...

If it were a normal raid they would be able to camp comfortably out of reach while raining arrows on them, but his friends were in the caravan, and knowing them they would probably try to pull off sneak attacks on whichever unlucky soul was nearest to them. This meant that they would most likely get swarmed if aid was not provided, and so this forced them to use projectiles as a distraction and a way to sow chaos before plunging into the fray.

The rest of the group would know their respective roles and should be hidden in whatever convenient spot they could find. The charge would be led by Antar after he either took down the first driver or activated the glyph and they would use the ensuing confusion to destroy their opponents. It sounded smooth and easy. Sounded.

It seemed that even time taunted them as the horses and wagons arrived in what seemed to be slow-motion, every breath making itself clear as Eri pushed his crossbow upright on the rock as he began to load a bolt into place. He would try to take down the second driver, but only after Antar let loose the first arrow. Their fates would be decided in the next moment, whether they would succeed or die trying.

It was the adrenaline of battle. The risk from the gamble of combat. For some reason, it thrilled the very cockles of the ethaefal's heart.

Let it begin.

[Cachet]

Antar : Antar SKILLS Observation:2 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Eridanus : Eridanus SKILLS Leadership:1 Observation:2 Glyphing:1 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Ihnar : Ihnar SKILLS Tracking:1 Stealth:1 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Shai : Shai SKILLS Observation:2 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Helping Nil Dhalvasha : Dhalvasha SKILLS Negotiation:1 Observation:1 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Zandelia : Zandelia SKILLS Observation:2 Seduction:1 Storytelling:1 Acting:1 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Seducing three men to gain an end Nil : Shai SKILLS Observation:1 Socialization:1 LORE Location: Western Hills Western Hills: nefarious crossroads Conclusion:In all it would've been great to see this thread actually get completed; I would've gladly waded through the massacre of posts, confusion, and bodies that came with it just to see this thread actually get completed. SO much potential but as it stands now I couldn't award much to many of you...which is sad because I know what this thread could've been. Anything seem out of place? Any questions please feel free to contact me ASAP.