Author's Note: This was supposed to be about two paragraphs and somehow it turned into a chapter...kind of a boring one too. No bloodshed, no mayhem…just a smidgeon of snark. What was I thinking?
Oh...and there will be a delay. I'm choking on the next chapter and it looks like I'm going to do Nanowrimo this year so I won't have time to unchoke for awhile. But I'm picking away at the blockage. In the game, I just hate Drearing's Deep, to the point that I often skip that mission but this is the first real chance for Valen and Solaufein to commit mayhem together…and I have some ideas, if only I could make them work...
(For those who read my BG fics, this year's Nano is probably going to be a sequel to Shared Soul...I'm pretty stoked about it! I do have two other ideas, however, so I guess there will be a wrestle-off.)
23...Inner Council
The addition of two huge golems to the group Haer'Dalis had dubbed the Motley Inner Council made the Seer's sitting room feel quite crowded. Even with its wings tucked in tightly, Aghaaz took a whole corner of the room. The ceiling was high enough that Aghaaz didn't actually have to duck its head, but it did so anyway.
Valen lurked in his normal place standing behind the Seer. Haer'Dalis wished Valen would at least pretend to relax and stop twitching his tail, since Solaufein clearly found the movement distracting. Nathyrra, wedged between him and Solaufein on the narrow couch, crossed her ankles in a lady-like pose but her posture was rigid. Solaufein had tamped down his anger once it was clear that the Maeviir situation was stable, but he certainly seemed more morose than usual.
The golems watched the tea-making process with interest. Haer'Dalis wasn't sure what insights the golems could bring to the meeting but the Seer seemed to feel it important for them to witness group interactions. Peaceful ones, by her preference. Haer'Dalis wasn't sure how long this meeting would remain peaceful but he realized the Seer was an optimist by profession.
"This appears to be a social ritual," Ferron murmured to Aghaaz.
"In many societies, there are social rituals centered around food and drink," the Seer told the golem. "It will be interesting to see what social rituals your own society develops."
"Are social rituals a requirement?" Aghaaz asked.
"Perhaps not," the Seer replied. "But they can be useful for setting people at ease."
No one in the room seemed much at ease at the moment, with the possible exception of Deekin. The Seer had found him a small stool to perch upon and he had scooted close to her chair. Deekin and the Seer had spent a good bit of time together studying the Mirror of All-Seeing. It appeared she had commandeered him as a personal assistant. Clearly she held him in high regard. Haer'Dalis wasn't surprised. He had often wondered if Deekin was a prodigy amongst his race, or if all kobolds, given Deekin's varied experiences, were capable of so much more than commonly expected.
He rather thought Deekin was unique however. From what the kobold had said of his former master, it was clear that the white dragon had singled him out and had expected great things from his kobold bard. It was very interesting. Much more interesting than the current discussion of Lith My'athar's defenses, which seemed primarily to consist of Solaufein throwing out ideas and Valen squashing them.
He, Nathyrra and Deekin politely held their cups of tea. Solaufein had waved off the drink and had a stack of maps spread out on the low table before him.
"It's obvious that our gates are our weak spots," Valen said. "The Valsharess will concentrate her strongest troops there."
"With that assumption, our strongest defensive units will be massed at the gates," Solaufein said. "But should she breach our walls elsewhere, her troops could pour into the city while we scramble to move. We don't have enough forces to protect the entire wall."
"How will she breach our walls?" Valen asked.
"Does the Valsharess possess siege engines?" Solaufein asked. He turned to the Seer.
"I do not know what you mean," the Seer said.
"Siege engines are large machines used to destroy fortifications," Haer'Dalis said. "Solaufein and I were present during the siege of Saradush. Have you never seen a trebuchet?"
The Seer shook her head and Nathyrra said, "I have not either. Is this a surfacer device?"
"I have seen catapults and trebuchets used in the Blood Wars," Valen said. "Surely such devices are too bulky and awkward to be moved through the caverns. On the surface they can be moved in wagons but there are no suitable roads here."
"Saradush was a very long siege," Haer'Dalis said. "I understood the attackers had built the machines on site from timber they cut in the area."
"Do you see any forests around here?" Valen asked. "No? Then can we get back to reality, please?"
"I'm not suggesting an actual trebuchet," Solaufein said. "Although I wouldn't rule it out either. The Valsharess has duergar engineers as well as mercenaries recruited from the surface. But there are other ways to assault our walls. Bombs. Magic."
"Treachery," Valen said. Solaufein nodded.
"The enemy also tunneled under the walls in Saradush," Haer'Dalis said.
"Tunneling is noisy. It would be heard," the Seer said.
"Do we have anyone specifically listening?" Solaufein asked. "That we trust? The caverns here go deep. Would the slaves below us warn anyone if they heard someone tunneling into the mines? Or would they see this as a chance to escape?"
The Seer turned to Deekin. "Make a note," she told him. "I will put trustworthy listeners throughout the caverns. This would not require our soldiers. Our non-combatants, even children, could be helpful." The kobold gave her a nod and scribbled in his book.
"I have watched some of the Valsharess' attacks on the illithid colonies in the Mirror," Solaufein said. "She makes heavy use of battle heralds to coordinate her troops."
"We can use clockwork heralds as well," the Seer said. "I believe Imloth has several available. We can have more made, if needed. Why does this seem significant to you?"
"In my experience, a matron mother does not have such a heavy hand in the daily performance of her raids," Solaufein said. "She leaves tactics to her experienced patrol leaders. Who is her war leader?" He turned to Nathyrra. "Do we know?"
"Now that you mention it," Nathyrra said. "I don't know. I've never heard talk of her war leader. Or her weapon master. Or her patron, for that matter."
"Is she directing all her forces personally?" Solaufein asked incredulously.
"The Red Sisters are helping her, I believe. But…" Nathyrra frowned to herself. "She can be very touchy if she thinks you show too much initiative. She will not tolerate any kind of criticism."
"How can she possibly be an effective leader then?" Haer'Dalis asked. "How can she improve if she does not accept criticism?"
Nathyrra shrugged. "She seems to be doing well enough so far."
"But…"
"She's drow, Haer'Dalis," Nathyrra said. "She's not a team player. No one would expect or respect that."
"I bow to your superior knowledge."
"I've led many raids," Solaufein said. "These attacks seem strange to me."
"Strange in what way?" the Seer asked.
"She spends troops lavishly, sometimes for very little return. Is she so rich that she can waste her mercenaries?"
"Dead mercenaries need not be paid," Haer'Dalis said.
"Does that not seem very short-sighted? Competent mercenaries are not an unlimited resource, no matter how much gold you throw around," Solaufein said. He turned to Nathyrra. "This huge army she has amassed seems...gaudy. Unnecessary. Frightening, of course, but she must feed and arm them, and for what purpose? Why does she need so many warriors? Surely she could accomplish her goals in a less wasteful manner. It does not seem drow-like somehow."
"Unless we do not understand her goals," Nathyrra said.
"Could she truly intend to conquer the surface? I'm certainly not understanding her tactics," Solaufein said. "Has the Valsharess studied surfacer wars?"
"Not that I know," Nathyrra said. "She came from a minor house. I wouldn't have thought she had any experience with war on this scale. I mean, who does? That's not what we do."
Valen's tail finally stopped twitching. "It's her devil," he said. "Mephistopheles."
"Is he directing her?" Nathyrra asked.
"He must be," Valen said.
"What can we expect from him?" Solaufein asked.
"Brilliance," Valen said glumly. "Ruthless brilliance." Solaufein gave him a thoughtful look and then smoothed out the map and pointed.
"If we had towers in these locations, we could break up any massed attacks on the gates or the walls," he said.
"If we had nightmares, we could all ride," Valen muttered.
"Mages and archers with detonation arrows could do a lot of damage from these towers," Solaufein continued. "Then if we constructed walls, here or here, we could funnel her troops into the range of the towers."
"We don't have time to create these elaborate defenses," Valen said.
"Perhaps we do." Solaufein nodded to Aghaaz and Ferron. "I have already talked to our golem allies. Can it be done?" he asked them.
"Per our previous discussion, eight towers can be built to the specifications you suggested in approximately 3.5 cycles," Ferron said. "The time will be slightly shorter if we do not need to fabricate the appropriate tools. I do not have an estimate for wall erection at this time. Your specification was too vague."
"Walls may be a barrier to our people as well," Nathyrra said. "I like the idea of creating kill zones but remember, we are vastly outnumbered. We must be flexible."
"Towers are useless if the attackers can simply stay out of the tower's range," Valen said.
"The Valsharess' style of mass warfare will be very alien to most of our people," Solaufein said. "We must control the battlefield. We must greatly leverage the power of each of our soldiers or we will be overwhelmed."
Deekin muttered something. The others ignored him but the Seer leaned forward. "What did you say, Deekin?" she asked him.
"Golem wall."
Valen and Solaufein both glared.
"Could you explain?" the Seer asked. Deekin set his book and cup on the floor and moved to the table.
"Tower here. Golems here. In a line." He made herding motions with his hands on the map. "Like a wall. Bad guys can't get by."
"You wish us to disassemble sentient beings?" Aghaaz asked. "We are still debating whether we choose to do so. A consensus has not been reached."
"Don't have to kill. Just push. Golems good at pushing. Wall can move where needed. Golems work together."
"You are describing a shield wall," Haer'Dalis breathed. "A massive shield wall."
Deekin nodded. "Like in the stories the dwarves tell."
"What is a shield wall?" Ferron asked.
"A shield is a defensive tool," Haer'Dalis said, and then Solaufein spoke a bit about the different types of shields in common use by warriors, as well as the concept of a shield wall, where warriors could interlock their shields for mutual defense.
"I've never actually used these techniques," Solaufein said.
"Nor have I," Valen said.
"Nor I," Haer'Dalis added.
"Why is that?" Ferron asked. "It would seem a shield would offer a large measure of protection to a warrior."
Haer'Dalis forced down a grin. "We may not be typical warriors. We don't worry so much about defending ourselves. We concentrate our efforts on quick disassembly," he said.
"If we cooperate in creating these kill zones you describe," Aghaaz said. "Is that so different from disassembling sentient beings ourselves?"
The Seer bowed her head at him. "It is a moral decision," she said. "The price of freedom is high. The cost of defeat is far higher, I'm afraid."
"We will continue to work towards consensus," Aghaaz said.
"I would be happy to facilitate your discussion, should you wish my aid," the Seer said. "What is the progress of the relocation of your people?"
"Approximately 63% of golems have arrived in Lith My'athar," Aghaaz said. "Cavallas the Boatman continues to assist."
"The House of the Moon going to be real crowded," Deekin said. "Already is. Good thing golems don't need the privy or things get messy."
"Zesyyr offers the use of one of her warehouses," Haer'Dalis said. Valen scowled and even Deekin frowned at the prospect of having their golem allies housed in a Maeviir facility. Haer'Dalis spread his hands. "I merely relay the offer. I make no recommendation," he said.
"I prefer to integrate the golems into our society rather than isolate them," the Seer said. Haer'Dalis thought that was tactfully put. She turned to Aghaaz. "I know no other way for you to learn how to form your own society than to observe others."
"The experience has been very educational so far," Ferron said.
"I will arrange for some of our craftspeople to consult with you," the Seer told Aghaaz. "You can discuss tools and materials. I think we should start construction on the towers next cycle if there is no objection." She turned her head to look at Valen.
"Fine," he said. "If nothing else, seeing our impressive allies at work will surely raise morale in the city."
"Cult," Deekin whispered to the Seer.
"Yes, Deekin," she said. "Our next topic is the cult of necromancers that our scouts have located. Deekin and I have attempted to scry the cult, with limited success."
"We seeing the village," Deekin said. "But there's this big temple and we can't see inside."
"The wards are powerful," the Seer said. "And I dare not try to break them through the mirror, if that is even possible, because of the threat of retaliation. Also, I do not wish to alert the cult to our presence."
"We could pose as a party from the Valsharess and infiltrate," Nathyrra said. "As we did at the beholder hive."
Solaufein nodded. "I would like the same group as before, if that suits you," he told the Seer. "I will remind everyone to bring blunt weapons and fire bolts to use against the bone golems."
"I'm sure Commander Imloth will agree and I already know Haelra wishes to go," she said. "I wish I had a battle cleric for you as well. It seems you will be facing powerful magic. My visions are unclear but I sense great malevolence from this temple."
"Your remaining clerics need to stay and protect the city," Valen said.
"Perhaps," the Seer said. "But this is an important mission. I request that you go as well, Haer'Dalis. I believe your temporary absence would ease the current political situation."
Haer'Dalis gave Solaufein a sideways look over Nathyrra's head. She wishes me to be seen aiding the city, not just Zesyyr's ambitions. Fair enough. "I do not object," he said. Although Zesyyr likely will.
The Seer turned her head and gave Valen a pensive look. "I wish you to join the group, as well."
He looked startled and then grim. "That is out of the question."
"Imloth will see to my personal safety, as he always has," she told him. "I feel this is important, Valen."
"Is this an order?" Valen asked. The Seer continued to give him a steady gaze. "Fine. Fine. When do we leave?"
"At the end of the cycle," Solaufein said.
"Deekin goes too?" the kobold asked hopefully. Solaufein looked at the Seer.
"I think that is a fine idea," she said. "I can use the mirror to communicate with you, should that become necessary."
There were no other items for discussion, so the group broke up. Solaufein waved Valen through the doorway but with an ironic glint in his eyes, Valen waved him forward first. Solaufein felt uneasy with the large tiefling so close to his back and he tensed when he felt Valen's breath on his hair.
"The Seer wishes us to learn to play nice together," Valen whispered.
"Any suggestions on how we do that?" Solaufein asked.
"No." Valen pushed past him. "None at all. Meet you at the city gates."
Solaufein scowled at Haer'Dalis, who smiled and shrugged. "Don't look at me," he said. "I always play nice."
