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 Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:14 am
Setting: Nomadic plains
----
While Tony was off talking to goodness knows who, Jack was planning an inflitration of Feretris' defenses. Tony had given him the name and location of a compound. Hours later a dragon had appeared over the same location, but Jack did not have the opportunity to ask Tony questions.
The plan he was proposing to the rag-tag group of fighters involved setting up temporary camp inside the country border, inbetween two compounds. Then they would send some of the women in disguise, at night, to talk to some of the border gaurds. With any luck they would then be able to attack a prison near the compound border, and hopefully steal many supplies as well.
Jack grit his teeth in determination as he looked at various members of the group, some he knew but many he did not. He and Tony had been trying to organize a group like this for a while now to attempt a more indepth mission, but people were hide to find and hard to convince. He had expected some from the Demere tribe, maybe some ex-slaves, and some revengeful farmers, but he didn't want to ask where every one was from.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:49 am
"Motley bunch, are they not?" Morgan leaned nonchalantly against a wall, picking at a thread in his gloves. Today's ensemble consisted of a long, rich black coat, glassless spectacles, and heavy black boots. His hair had been tied back with a grey ribbon.
The oddly-dressed Demere turned to the commander,--Jack, was it?--smiling pleasantly. "And we plan on moving, when? I believe they're all present and accounted for." His eyes roved briefly over the haphazard group, seeming to pick them apart and weigh them with only a momentary glance.
He returned his eyes to Jack, drawing the overcoat tighter about his body. "I do hope you have stopped to consider any and all consequences of your actions, commander," he remarked cheerily. "And stopped to write a will. Just in case, you know."
Morgan had scouted out the terrain, before. It would not be an easy capture, to be sure, but he had seen worse. He wondered vaguely whether this man had planned on an outright physical assault to bypass the guards, or something stealthier.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:29 am
Jack bared his teeth at the up-start peanut gallery. His nerves were stretched tight as bow strings, and it was all he could do not to let proverbial arrows fly. Usually he'd be the one poking fun and being a general jovial pain in the a**. But this raid was his idea and he was one of the most experienced here by virtue of Tony's help in keeping him free and alive.
He may have been decent at planning strategies, but he was terrible at explaning them. Questions helped no matter how hard he clentched his fists in annoyance as he searched for the right words.
He ignored the first question because he didn't want to leave until Tony was back, and even without Tony he did not want to leave until it was closer to dark. They could plan in the daylight all they wanted, but they had to travel into Feretris with whatever cover and stealth they could muster.
"Wills are useless for little ******** like you and me," he growled as he attempted to turn back to the task at hand. When, where, why, how? Every one wanted to know. "We'll leave-- I mean, we've got to go over what to take. Every one show me what you have.... You first." He was speaking, of course, to Morgan.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:09 pm
Morgan's cheerful smile did not move a mite as the commander's obvious tension became apparent. If anything, he seemed more amused. Oh, apprehension danced through his mind in pink ballet shoes, as well, but he'd long ago decided that it was simply too much trouble to show it.
"Oh, tsk. No need to be testy," he chuckled, tilting his head to one side. "Stress can lead to hasty decisions." He shifted his position against the wall, smile slipping for a moment as he frowned irritably at the nail head that jabbed him in the back.
He shrugged. "But if you wish to wait, I have no objections." He had heard that Jack usually worked in the company of another, and suspected that it was this unknown commander that the party was waiting for. "The more the merrier, to coin the cliche."
"What do I have?" Morgan blinked, pondering the question. "Well, alright. Biscuits and knives, though I wouldn't recommend the biscuits. Bit stale." One hand dove into the pocket of his coat, withdrawing several knives no more than a fingerspan in length. The other pocket produced much the same. More were found at his belt, accompanied by a longer knife used for closer combat. Drawing one more from his boot, he pooled them out before the commander.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:51 pm
Jack glanced them over very briefly. Since they had limited supplies, he could not be picky about the quality of any weapon some one produced. If it looked like it would hold together at first glance, he made note of it and moved on. "You're set, then," he said in a business-like manner, and turned to the next guy, and the next. It was not that he didn't notice. Jack was always making notes about people in his head.
Their most interesting assets were three horses. After that was a blade at the end of a pole, meant to be used with a horse but also useful in foot combat. Short and long stabbing knifes were common, but not always well made. Jack ordered a few to be reinforced unto the handles with ties because they were poorly made half-tangs. Other weapons were even more roughshod in use or make: sticks, rocks and slings, that sort of thing. Jack himself had a short sword.
Next Jack told them about a black covering that they would put on any exposed skin, which would help the stealth mission and make them feel better about not having any armor.
He spoke very quickly in his agitation, but that at least meant that he was now getting to how the mission would run. "We will set up in the woods near the compound. Scouting may take as long as a day. We may recruit some of the guards then if we can. Then we approach them again the next night, leaving the horses and someone to lead the slaves back. Depending on scouting reports, we may attack the prison building that is rumored to be there, or the storage sheds."
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:55 am
"It is no rumor, sir," Morgan informed the commander airily, returning his weapons to their proper places. "It is there, and it is well fortified. I scouted a mission in the general vicinity, once upon a time."
The party was truly more of a ragtag rabble than Morgan had originally anticipated. Their weapons seemed for the most part of no professional make, and they themselves did not seem to be fighting machines. Clucking his tongue, Morgan shrugged to himself. He'd worked with worse, and still come out alive (though he could not say much for most of those he worked with).
"And so, we'll await the rest of our merry party and be off, I gather it," Morgan hummed. "Very well. I do believe that you're going to need all of the firepower that you can muster, my dear commander."
Indeed, he had heard tell of whole scouting parties captured and executed, or simply killed on the spot. Hardly an encouraging notion, but such was war.
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 10:21 am
(...flash back to age of empires sound bites xd RAIDING PARTY!)
"Good, I will need to talk to you...a*****e," Jack said with something nearing affection glinting in his eyes and stretching his face into an unweildy grin. He didn't like being called 'dear commander' but had to admit that Morgan was now being undeniably helpful, and that nothing else he had just said was actually offensive. And so his impression of Morgan now read something like "Helpful a*****e", which was very much like Jack's picture of himself.
"Jack!" another man called out from behind Morgan in a smoother voice more akin to the many expressive tones of music. "How are things going?" Tony stepped out from the grass into the psuedo-clearing made by the trampling of the group's feet. He immediately gave the impression of being an honest and contemplative person; if he spoke with sureity and conviction, one would be hard-pressed not to consider his words seriously. His long cotton pants to protect against the harsh grass and pale skin that tanned minimally in the sun also gave the impression of a forienger.
Following him were four more men apparently intending on joining the party. One looked lithe and swift but not very strong; the others had physically intimidating stoutness of body and tone of muscle. The swords at two of the men's sides gave the impression that they were professional trained, not self-taught. The lithe one and another of the men carried arrows and throwing knives. Although some had a darker complexion than Tony, the truth was that they had all come with him from Tok. They did not have much in-battle experience even now, but they at least knew how to use their weapons.
"You-know-who would not allow me to recruit those inside the care of their tribe," Tony informed Jack with out a trace of concern or surprise. "So this is it." That was to the rest of the group, which Tony now ran his gaze across as the four who had come with him stood akwardly at the edge of the small gathering.
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:32 pm
((Pshaw, took you long enough, Penden. xD)
At Jack's change in tone of voice, Morgan offered a grin in return, sweeping a ridiculously elegant bow. "At your service," he chuckled, straightening and flinging his hair back over his shoulder. "As if I had a choice in the matter, that is. I shall play the good little scout, yes I shall."
He tilted his head as a new voice rang into hearing. The last bit of their merry group of fools, no doubt. Ah, what fun. The black-clad scout turned on his heel to face the newcomer, black coat fluttering at his knees.
Hmm... Not a native, apparently. Morgan expected few lies from this one. But then, he himself could play the mask game as well as any. Perhaps the man had some bite. Most likely, otherwise they would not have been made to await his arrival. Morgan returned his attention to Jack.
"Are we quite finished here?" he inquired pleasantly, straightening the false spectacles perched upon his nose. "Your companion has arrived, it seems we are all present and accounted for, and, while this is quite amusing, I would like to move this circus along." Morgan did not know the meaning of holding one's tongue.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:40 pm
(sorry, I had a bad case of work rofl )
Tony was already standing close to Morgan when Morgan began to speak. He waited patiently for Morgan to finish, but then put a hand on his shoulder and said, "We cannot leave until every one is ready. Go with Jack ahead of us."
As Tony turned to address the rest of the group, Jack demanded Morgan's attention with a direct, intense stare and the words "This way."
As they were leaving, Tony was asking the others if they had any questions. No doubt after Jack's hard-and-fast explanation of the raid, they did.
Jack passed by the horses, which were already laden with the supplies that the others would be bringing behind him. "So you've scouted there before, huh? Well spill it, what did you see? How long ago was it? Do you have a lot of scouting experience, then?" Apparently Jack did not want to waste their trip in silence, not while they were in relatively safe lands.
They angled a little to the west as they headed north to Feretris, aiming for the sparse woods that clung to the foothills of the mountains where Feretris logging had not yet reached. This would provide them with cover while at the same time swinging them well around the only compound between the border and Eldic Estates. The woods held mysterious creatures but was worth the risk.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:37 pm
Morgan, somewhat put-out by Tony's refusal to leave, followed Jack nonetheless. It occured to him, suddenly, that he'd forgotten a hat. Rummaging briefly in the voluminous pockets of the coat, he located a somewhat crumpled beret and stuffed it onto his head.
Satisfied that he was prepared for the trip, he joined Jack at the head of the group, hands in his pockets. The remainder of the party yet seemed rather bewildered, but they would come to grasp their mission in time. Or so he hoped, at any rate.
"Yes, I have scouted there," Morgan replied cheerily to the commander's question. "No more than two month's time ago, I should guess. For a failed raid. No doubt you heard tell of it. It was somewhat humiliating, really. But, then again, the head of the party was a fool. He was quickly disposed of, unfortunately." He was quite unaware that the dismal story clashed disturbingly with his light-hearted tone of voice.
He paused in his storytelling to button his coat. "Anyhow, it is a good-sized prison, as far as they go. Well-guarded, as well. Physical and magical strength guard its walls, and the architectural defenses are quite advanced, as well. Despite this, it does have its weaknesses, of course."
He'd begun recieving peculiar looks froma few of the men, though these were met with a cheeky grin or a stuck-out tongue. "I say, your men seem to like staring. Perhaps you should have picked a bunch that were less easily amused."
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:36 pm
"Soon we will be beyond their earshot," Jack said with a harried sigh. He wasn't sure that he wanted to be scouting with Morgan by himself, but he wouldn't trust any one else to question the man either. They'd come back baffled.
They had passed the men holding the horses, and now passed a woman who had been scouting the perimeter for the group. "Join you in a bit," she said with a wink as they walked by, not paying much mind to Morgan. She was the only woman of them all.
"I did hear about it. I told that fool myself not to go ahead yet, and now here I am doing the same bloody thing." He shrugged. "Hopefully their victory has made the city arrogant. I heard the prison was stone. Do you know if it is good quality? Any design flaws at all? Improperly built arches? Poorly positioned exits? Large windows? Wooden doors? Too close to a store house?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:46 pm
"Goodness, you are pushy!" Morgan huffed. "Very well, very well. Don't snap. There are drains that are not well guarded, at all, if that. There are no windows that you could fit a man through, but there are some exits that recieve less attention than others, particularly the last on on the southwest end of the building. As for store-houses, the prison boasts a store-house of its own, if that's what you wanted. A rather large one, at that."
He glanced up briefly as the female spy passed, but otherwise paid her no heed. "You will need to be stealthy, dear commander, very stealthy. It may sound like an obvious warning, but it is of the utmost importance. One cry from a guard will bring hundreds more down on your head. And believe me when I say that once caught, you will wish your father had never stolen that first kiss." He grinned.
Morgan could tell that the commander was ill at ease around him. Hmm. A bit insulting, that. Jack was a sensible man, however. That was good. They would need a man with a decent head on his shoulders to wind their way through this mess.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:49 pm
Jack stared ahead with a frown and nodded as Morgan began speaking again. Unlike Tony, he would interrupt occassionally as he thought out loud:
"Stealth," he agreed shortly. "Don't worry, Tony hangs back as our calvary." So they had some sort of back up plan, but that didn't explain much about it, and Jack was already moving on the next thing.
"Drains, huh?" he asked with a grin as his shoulders relaxed. Even his pace slowed down. "Please tell me they're grates over an underground system." He turned around to face Morgan, walking backwards. "We got explosives!"
If one had to be calm to have a decent head on his shoulders, if one had to be emotionally predictable, Jack was not your man. He growled when things went badly; he gestured wildly when things went well of a sudden, like now. Even a regular pipe system might allow them to climb to the roof and set explosives there.
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:57 pm
"Right, then. Seems you've covered that angle." Morgan nodded his approval. It was rather amusing, really, that Jack seemed to think faster than he talked. He could easily leave someone in the dust as his train of thought whizzed by. "I would still recommend that you take great care, however."
"As for the grates, bingo! They are indeed just grates, which seems a peculiar mistake to make for such a well fortified prison." Morgan shook his head. Honestly, they must have finished the building hastily. "Explosives may work, but it also may bring the guards down on you."
He laughed. "You may want to watch where you're going." He nodded at a tree that had come into view behind the commander.
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:33 pm
"Yeah, it'll bring the guards down on us alright," Jack snorted right before Morgan had a chance to give his warning. Jack wasn't very quick to act appropriately and had to catch his balance as he bounced off of the tree at at a glancing angle. "Bloody scenery," he complained as he faced forward again.
He went back to his plans for the raid. "You 'n I can scout out the best places to put them while every one else hangs back a bit. Then we can see if we can take out the guards at some entrance poorly guarded-- I mean, if there is one-- and get that door open before we blow the s**t out of things. Or if it fails and we got people after us, we can blow it then!"
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