"You and I are different, Tarathiel. in this plane, perhaps your right. I appear weak and cowardly to you, because I do not lash out at enemies or potential threats as soon as I see them. I do not invoke wars by raiding others without any real reason than my personal pleasure."
Malik was quite calm right now.
"My plane, Norrath, we plan for centuries before striking at an enemy. we make damn sure that when we do strike, most times we win. the Daughter of Hate thought like you do. and for that, she was crushed at High Keep. and again in the Dreadlands. While she did win great victories beforehand, we don't mesure skill by victory alone. we measure it by keeping what you take. all the victories in the world mean nothing if your still beaten in your last battle or campaign."
A small smirk.
"Dimitri's army and navy were of little concern to me. there's but one place to safely land ships, and Dimitri would never dare strike at me openly. like most, he feared the backlash from teh simple fact I was a drow. the reputation of the race held him in check. and I took my pleasure in attending his tournaments and besting with some ease the best his army or troops had to offer."
"And what is wrong with doors? I'm a slave trader, and can't expect half of the people the have the magical toys you or I might to get past stone walls. and the planar rift will be well contained once it's full constructed."
"You mentioned the reason for my lack of outgoing strikes already. If myself or Piper die, this plane goes with us. I don't want that to happen either. Perhaps it has made me overly cautious."
He made a motion fo Tarathiel to have a seat.
"We are from different planes, you and I. You were born and bred here, adn I was not. your people seem more prone to open warfare, mine used subterfuge and deceit. So enlighten me, as to how your people would deal with this Lich. and I'll tell you first what we have learned. this lich is probably the most powerful being in this realm right now. and not armywise, but personal power. he has seen or knows an unknown amount of the future, and yes, he grows souless beings, from a place called the 'corn fields' to be part of an army of the undead and these things..as well as who knows what else."
"He has had at least two occasions to destroy most likely the two beings who have the power or resources to be the largest direct threat, and hasn't. Roarke and Melikki are teh desedants of the first mage and oracle, whom he held in hate..so why spare them. he captured the wizard that I beleive is residing with you, but didn't make him a servant or use him to feed the souless. why? again, another let free and this one has direct knowledge of where he is."
"So there is roarke, eliot, and the wizard that all know the location of the cornfields or the lich himself. the oracle to help us strike the hardest at him through her visions. Not all of his servants are undead and souless, So there are some she can see. if he knows your true name, he might have some guess as to your family, and he very well could have learned that through his capture of the Oracle. which means he may know exactly who you can call upon for aid. as well as myself, he may know the same, or what happens if he cuts me or piper down."
"So with all of this knowledge, why has he not moved to take you down, or neutralize me? why does he continue buisness dealings with me, when I am using what he sends me to learn about his army? it leaves really three reasons. first, he's overwhelmingly arrogant and believes he's invicible. second, he's still preparing his forces to strike once, and decisively. or three, his really is as powerful as I make him out to be, and he's allowing us this information to goad us into a fight."
"My people woudl continue your learning of this enemy, and make sure that when we go to fight, we are fully prepared for anything that might come at us. which is obviously to you a cowardly and lax way of doing things. So what woudl your people do?"
Malik was quite calm right now.
"My plane, Norrath, we plan for centuries before striking at an enemy. we make damn sure that when we do strike, most times we win. the Daughter of Hate thought like you do. and for that, she was crushed at High Keep. and again in the Dreadlands. While she did win great victories beforehand, we don't mesure skill by victory alone. we measure it by keeping what you take. all the victories in the world mean nothing if your still beaten in your last battle or campaign."
A small smirk.
"Dimitri's army and navy were of little concern to me. there's but one place to safely land ships, and Dimitri would never dare strike at me openly. like most, he feared the backlash from teh simple fact I was a drow. the reputation of the race held him in check. and I took my pleasure in attending his tournaments and besting with some ease the best his army or troops had to offer."
"And what is wrong with doors? I'm a slave trader, and can't expect half of the people the have the magical toys you or I might to get past stone walls. and the planar rift will be well contained once it's full constructed."
"You mentioned the reason for my lack of outgoing strikes already. If myself or Piper die, this plane goes with us. I don't want that to happen either. Perhaps it has made me overly cautious."
He made a motion fo Tarathiel to have a seat.
"We are from different planes, you and I. You were born and bred here, adn I was not. your people seem more prone to open warfare, mine used subterfuge and deceit. So enlighten me, as to how your people would deal with this Lich. and I'll tell you first what we have learned. this lich is probably the most powerful being in this realm right now. and not armywise, but personal power. he has seen or knows an unknown amount of the future, and yes, he grows souless beings, from a place called the 'corn fields' to be part of an army of the undead and these things..as well as who knows what else."
"He has had at least two occasions to destroy most likely the two beings who have the power or resources to be the largest direct threat, and hasn't. Roarke and Melikki are teh desedants of the first mage and oracle, whom he held in hate..so why spare them. he captured the wizard that I beleive is residing with you, but didn't make him a servant or use him to feed the souless. why? again, another let free and this one has direct knowledge of where he is."
"So there is roarke, eliot, and the wizard that all know the location of the cornfields or the lich himself. the oracle to help us strike the hardest at him through her visions. Not all of his servants are undead and souless, So there are some she can see. if he knows your true name, he might have some guess as to your family, and he very well could have learned that through his capture of the Oracle. which means he may know exactly who you can call upon for aid. as well as myself, he may know the same, or what happens if he cuts me or piper down."
"So with all of this knowledge, why has he not moved to take you down, or neutralize me? why does he continue buisness dealings with me, when I am using what he sends me to learn about his army? it leaves really three reasons. first, he's overwhelmingly arrogant and believes he's invicible. second, he's still preparing his forces to strike once, and decisively. or three, his really is as powerful as I make him out to be, and he's allowing us this information to goad us into a fight."
"My people woudl continue your learning of this enemy, and make sure that when we go to fight, we are fully prepared for anything that might come at us. which is obviously to you a cowardly and lax way of doing things. So what woudl your people do?"
