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Looking over to Akhil, and smiles, having gotten used to such jokes from the other men he used to work with, “you are not the first to make such jokes about my preferred choice of weapon. All I have to say is this, if you want to truly find out, just ask.” He puckers he kisses in Akhils direction and winks.

Putting on a more serious face Iron Soul addresses the other question. “Yes I perfectly intend on carrying it with me when we go. I normally tell people it is made of feather steel. But most people are not on guard for shenanigans”

Turning to Anya as for her comment about being re-equipped, and then looks to Hidden Jasper and Colonel Tetsun, “no offence intended but my blade was a gift to me by the Unconquered Sun himself, and I know no safe place to keep it, except with me.”

[OOC] Normal cost simply to attune, double cost and a Wits + Lore roll at difficulty 3 if they want the material bonus as well, running the risk of taking damage from feedback on a failure, and destroying the item on a botch. [/OOC]

Sasha decides to chip in again, having seen Dragon-Blooded in Whitewall.
"I have seen the Dragon-blooded use weapons that were not their own before, though they almost never wield them with such power as the rightful owners of such weaponry."

Listening Iron just nods to it all, even the comments about any essence user being able to attune to an artefact knowledge he did not know before today. “Akhil what you say is mostly true if they realize our true intentions, and raise an alarm then we will fail. But a man, god-blooded or exalted, walking into the city should not raise that level of suspicion. If I keep a low profile and not do anything really suspicious like clearly scouting out the prison or the house that the royal sorcerer is in. They should not pay me much heed. I just need to be normal until our time to strike.”

After listening to the discussion, the Colonel casts a questioning glance at Hidden Jasper, seeking his expertise on the matter.

"Ah, hmm. Yes, I suppose master Iron Soul could possibly pass as a God-blood, if only for the purpose of hiding our true strength. My only concern is that almost all of our Essence-wielders were killed or captured, and it may arouse suspicion to have one or more 'come out of the woodwork' as it were. Much of our planning relies upon the Bull and the Haltans believing we are little more than plucky mortals. Still, with the right preparations, it would be possible for him to stay near his weapon without drawing too much attention."

"As for the God-blooded soldiers guarding the fortress, we know that they are scions of forest deities and spirits of wood. They do not carry obviously magical items, but they do seem to have access to a trained Thaumaturge, and all carry high-quality weapons and armor. Further, we suspect that they are all veterans of the Haltan-Linowan conflicts. I cannot say if that is also true for the mortals under their command, though."

Colonel Tetsun picks up from there. "And that's just what we know about external defenses. Once we get inside the facility, its anyone's guess. Which also makes Aparna's knowledge more useful to us."

"Now, before we jump ahead to the prison, there are the matters of Raemonn and Aparna. The minister works in a lightly-guarded office in the outer ward of Carnelian Peak," Colonel Tetsun uses a charcoal pencil to draw a circle on the relevant part of the map. "She has a number of bodyguards, but their purpose seems to be more about protecting her from angry citizens trying to assassinate her. One of our operatives was able to pose as a Guild representative and get an appointment with her, so she is quite accessible."



"And just as you said earlier, Anya, it might be possible to use Raemonn's rescue to aid negotiations. The capitol is three days from here, so anyone who goes to meet with Aparna would arrive concurrently with news of the Sorceror's escape. Not as impressive once you know what he was capable of, but I'm betting that Aparna isn't given that kind of security clearance."

"Now, speaking of Raemonn. We lost track of him a few months ago when a raid went sour, and everyone had to scatter. His message, which was carried by some sort of sorcerous imp, says that he had taken shelter in his hometown, about 60 miles from here. We have one of the old mail carriages, and we can get you fresh horses at each town on the way. That should get you there in about a day. Raemonn estimated it would take about that much time before their orders came in, at which point he either dies or gets taken."



"He was hiding out in his family home, a townhouse along the main road. I haven't seen it in person, but most of those are 2-story affairs built of wood with brick supports. A front door leads directly to the road, and a back door opens onto an alleyway in the back. Its a fairly urban area, but windows usually can be found on each floor, facing the road. Raemonn mentioned that his captors consisted of at least 10 Haltans, none of whom seemed more than mortal, and that they had taken up positions inside and out of the house while they searched it. At the time, he says they hadn't realized he was the man they were looking for, but that they would realize it within an hour or two. By now, they should know who he is. For that reason it is imperative that any of you who wish to aid in his rescue be prepared to leave immediately."

Valis listens quietly as his fellows discuss plans.

"Damn," Valis mumbles upon hearing how the god bloods are armed. "But, at least it means that their armory isn't nearly as fierce as it could be. Good with the bad."

"As for walking past the guards, I was going to suggest that simply acting like you ought to be there is enough to fool many a guard, but that works better with mortals... like the guards on Raemonn's estate for example. While it might betray an essence user to the the Bull's forces, it would give weight to say, a group there to haul the old thaumaturge to his grizzly fate? But, that could be playing a hand far too heavily. Stealth might serve the mission for better then guile."

"Regardless, I volunteer to be one of those to speak with Aparna and see if she can be recruited. While I'm not one to shy from a fight, stealth has never been my strength."

Grim walked along the road whistling an old northern traveling song to himself as he went. As he passed a splintered wooden fence set along the roadside the Eclipse leaped up onto the top and balanced along it. He smiled as he remembered the last few days. Even though dealing with the rogue road god had delayed his travel to Rokan-Jin it had been worth it in his opinion. Once a month ten men from the village would help to maintain the road and offer prayers to the little god and in return it would warn them of bandits and help to keep the road safe. A fairly nice deal to the advantage of all.

As he reached the end of the fence the Anathema paused and flicked the leathers he wore that had been fashioned in imitation of the robes of an immaculate monk and jumped. Grim flipped his body in midair landing on the palms of his hands and walked a few feet on them before cart wheeling back to his feet. His hands dipped quickly to the traveling bag he wore a brief flash of red gold from the bracers he wore showing as he pulled out three peaches and began to juggle them.

“Now where would I be if I was a mortal resistance group looking to do combat with the forces of one of the Princes of Creation?” He spoke quietly to himself. “Hello wandering Anathema here to help defeat the forces of a conquering Anathema!” he called out as he walked towards the center of the town. He switched from using two hands to juggle the peaches to one and then rubbed his thick sideburns.

"I agree, unless some other insight to the problem at hand is added, I think that splitting our number to address both the thaumaturge and the capital is best for the moment. I also offer my services in journeying to the capital, perhaps even as another wondering priest?" With a stretch of his arms, Valis stands. "Anyway, I wish for a breath of fresh air and a chance to stretch my legs. And don't worry, my blade is safe in my room. If you'll all be kind enough to excuse me for a few minutes?"

Nodding to his hosts and fellows, Valis turns and heads towards the ladder out, not really waiting for a response. Despite the necessity of being below ground, he wanted to get some sunlight. He quickly ascended to the service, and carefully eased the trapdoor open. Seeing that the barn was empty, he pushed it the rest of the way and scrambled to the surface. Valis was about to open the door and step out, when he heard a voice shout from the streets.

“Hello wandering Anathema here to help defeat the forces of a conquering Anathema!”

"The hell," Valis mumbled. He pushed the door open just enough to glance out. As his eyes adjusted to the Sun's radiance, Valis saw a figure wandering carelessly though the town, casually juggling what looked to be a handful of fruit. "Well I'll be a Dragon King," he said in shock.

With a hard push, he burst through the now open doors of the barn, his arms held wide.

"GRIM! What in the Labyrinth are you doing here my friend?"

"So far...Valis and Ahkil are for the minister...while me and Iron here are for the sorcerer. I agree that smaller numbers would be best in either case, those going to the minister can pick some sort of disguise or story along the way, while those going for the sorcerer will get a better idea for a plan once we get there and what time of day it is." Anya said, nodding slightly at her own plan.

Ironicly, she never REALLY planned anything before, at least not like this...and she was more of a...spur-of-the-moment type person anyway and she was anxious to get this over with, although the prospect of a bit of skull-thumping didn't displease her either. She remained quiet and in thought while the rest of the group thought things out, idly paying attention to the rather loud new voice that came from outside when Valis went out...