[HQ Ignorance] Scene 54: The Battle of Seshnela; The First Three Hours

[Sam Elliot]

On Feb 16, 2008 1:52 PM, Nic Hughes <nicolas.h at virgin.net> wrote:
>
> The figure of Baros skipping along behind Icthya have become so familiar
> that he was hardly noticed, then with a strange distant look in his eyes
> he began to sing "Sticks and stones may break my bones, sticks and
> stones may break my bones"
>
> He stopped, seemingly surprised at his own voice then spoke to the elf
> "My lady, I think Aalmon was trying to remind me of something. The
> ancient bones of the long dead are brittle - hard to destroy with arrows
> or spears but easily done by a branch with the smashing force of a
> flood. Could the trees spare a few branches?"

Icthya smiles at the satyr. "You haven`t seen an elf fight with a
spear, have you? You think we fight in a line like humans, prodding at
the enemy from behind a shield. In a forest," she explains,
"especially one where the undergrowth itself is hindering, you'll be
hard put to find an enemy which can keep a line. So, you find small
groups, and then the spear is like a staff, except with a pointy bit.
So, you trip a zombie up, or smash it in the face with the butt. Or
you get your spear through the ribs of a skeleton, and you find you
can take it where you like. If the enemy is sufficiently slowed, then
there is a group assigned to punching through this lot and engaging
the elite. "

"I agree the arrows are not so directly useful, but with the archers
moving in the trees, we can concentrate fire on the leaders and the
torchbearers. Our arrows are themselves alive; hopefully, the purified
water will affect the bloodsuckers too. And I will be sending a Moment
Yearning after them too." Baros can remember seeing Icthya's Green Age
companion roused to anger, and it was a fearful sight.

"Tanuki", she refers to her small furry companion, "is even now
disguised as a rock awaiting the leaders of the mercenaries to lure
them away.

"But for now, I must look to the shaman; they are calling upon the
earth itself to slow this vile army and to guide our waters against
them. And we must choose the right moment to open the floodgates." She
looks at her dwarf companion, up inspecting the dam.

OOC:
Yadayadayada.

Okay. Lev, you already know Icthya's basic intention and some of the
details. But, to add to that, or specify some parts...

I think she and Kalen can apply their intellects to choosing the right
moment to flood things - that is, to slow one part of the enmy and so
on, but to reach the elite after they reach the gates of the city too,
if possible.

I honestly cannot Gloranthan elves, if equipped with spears and
fighting in a forest, not being adept at using the things as staves
and, if there are skeletons about, breaking some bones, dragging them
about. Pointy things don`t hurt undead just seems so basic, so DnD...

I like Loran's idea of the trees whipping the enemy into shape,
but...I think that slowing the bulk of the skeleton/zombie force is
more important than destroying them and if guiding the waters to the
elite is possible, then that too. So, I'd rather the shaman
concentrate on making the ground treacherous as hell (via undergrowth,
with Icthya's Tangled Bank spirit too) and guiding the flow of the
waters if possible. Slapping the enemy about is of course, a viable
option too.

In only really being ableto pay proper attention now, I realize that I
would like to have set Tanuki off to work with Aalmon. If Aalmon is to
attempt the bribing, Tanuki can help.

The flooding is aimed at a punch first (with the fetish unleashed),
then making movement difficult for the enemy, but also finally to have
a becalming influence (cf.the water spirit but also possibly the
fetish talking to all these undead abut a better time (Wisdom of the
Green Age).

If things go well, some of the spear-elves, accompanied by archers,
will attempt to break through and pressure the enemy's centre, from
the western flank.

Sam.