Tarithnesti - Distractions and Maneuvers

07 Deepkolt 349 AC

EN ROUTE TO TARITHNESTI

Kysek continues his flight with Dusk. The elf continues to switch his sight from his own to Bubo’s. He focuses on trying to see everything he can through Bubo’s eyes when doing so. When he focuses on his own surroundings, he keeps a keen eye for ground forces that may have not reached the city yet. He is always reassuring Dusk, “Keep out of sight, girl! Fly silently! Keep a keen eye for enemies! If we find them along the way; it may be our way to help save the city. You’re doing great! Remember; we are the ghosts in the darkness!”

As Kysek urges Dusk to fly as fast as she can toward Tarithnesti, he spots it: a narrow stretch of road cutting between two hedgerows shows faint signs of passage: crushed grass, fresh hoofprints, and the glint of metal catching brief sunlight through the canopy. Not a full formation… but scouts. Or outriders. Moving fast enough to avoid drawing attention, but not careful enough to erase their trail entirely.

And then Bubo sees further.

A second cluster. Deeper in the treeline. Stationary. Watching the road.

Kysek focuses on the riders, trying to figure out what Bubo is seeing. The riders are strange compared to the knights and militia he us used to. They stay low in the saddle, crouching to remain as concealed as possible. Shortbows are held in the same hand that holds the reins and curved sabres hang from their saddles. The horses are squat and stocky and seem to be able to run without tiring. If they continue on this path, the riders will reach the eastern reaches of Tarithnesti in about half-an-hour.

Kysek banks Dusk upward; out of arrow reach. He watches as the riders approach the watchers and prepares his Fireball spell. When the two groups merge; he banks Dusk downward, urges her to scream, and unleashes a fireball in the center of the amassed figures.

The spell detonates. Fire wooshes outward in an quickly expanding sphere. Trees are incinerated. Branches, leaves, and burning debris are thrown into the air.

But there are no bodies. No screaming horses. No panicked survivors. Only burning ground and flaming trees.

Kysek feels Dusk tense beneath him. He turns and looks. Behind them, another cluster of riders has appeared on the road they already crossed: the same kind of horses, same foreign silhouettes, same measured advance. They ride directly toward him without urgency, as though utterly unconcerned with the inferno he just unleashed.

Suddenly, more figures stand among the burning trees below. Unmoving. The new riders reach them and the instant they do, the treeline figures vanish like smoke scattered by wind.

A breath later, another identical group of horsemen appears, already riding toward his position.

ALSO EN ROUTE TO TARITHNESTI (from the second farmhouse)

Early morning light filters through tall branches in golden shafts, and the steady rhythm of boots, armor, and tack creates a reassuring cadence. Birds call overhead. Somewhere nearby, water moves over stone. Romulus, astride Macula, rides at the center of the group.

The ambush at the farmhouse had been decisive—swift, brutal, and utterly one-sided. Not a single defender had fallen. The plan had worked perfectly.

For the moment, it almost feels like the war has shifted in their favor.
Yet beneath the levity, discipline remains. Their scouts still range ahead and to the flanks. Eyes continue searching the treeline. Weapons remain ready.

And though none of them realize it yet, the woods ahead have grown strangely quiet. 

ON THE EASTERN RIDGES

Ornforithalas scrambles up a tree, his eyes tracking the dragons as they recede into the distance. They split up, half banking left to come at the city from the south, their route crossing over the quarry and the river, while the other half swings right so they approach from the north.

He shouts down, "Njigba! Sound the horns! The city must be warned!"

AT THE FIRST FARMSTEAD (en route to Tarithnesti)

"We must hurry. They mean to ambush Tarithesti! For all we know, the city is already in flames!" Grotto yells out to the front of the line. "No time for site seeing! Pick up the pace!"

Ra’ziir, hearing the dwarf, consults with Raven via their mindlink, “I can teleport about half our scouts to Tarethnisti and then come back to continue with the rest of the procession… if you feel it’s warranted."

Raven thinks about it for a few seconds. "Do it. Take the best of our scouts first. Reinforce Cedron at the Quarry first. The rest of us will wait for you here."

”Okay, boy… I’ve got to run an errand and teleport some of the scouts to the quarry. I’ll be quick, but while I’m gone, keep the canopy overhead. There may be dragons about and I don’t want you trying to engage them alone.” Ra’ziir says to Redclaw. “Keep an eye out and warn those on the ground if you spot anything… I won’t be long.”

Ra’ziir slides out of the saddle as he scratches the griffon’s neck, and falls toward the ground. He incants a spell that allows him to float the last 30 feet and lands on the path near Raven. “Anything else you need me to do while I’m there? I want to get back as quick as I can, but I can relay a message or procure any supplies we might need…”

"No. We're close to town already. I can't imagine anything that we will be in desperate shortage of in the next few hours. Take Grotto with you, thay way our troops have a veteran warrior to protect them."

Ra’ziir nods and assembles Grotto and the best six of his scouts and begins casting the spell to get them as near to the quarry as possible. A moment later, they vanish, leaving Raven and the others alone with the dead.

Raven orders the remaining scouts to establish a perimeter and keep a sharp eye out for enemy troops. “Pairs only. No fires. Watch the roads and tree line. If you spot movement, you report first—you do not engage unless there’s no choice.”
The elves moved immediately, disciplined and silent. Cloaks were drawn tighter as they disappeared into darkness beyond the farmyard, fading into the trees like ghosts. Within moments, only faint traces of movement betrayed their positions.
Raven exhaled slowly and looked toward the distant black silhouette of the forest.

AT THE CRYSTAL QUARRY

Shadow casts his spell. The world collapses in on itself with a gut-wrenching lurch and roar of deafening light.

And then, he, Cor and Therionel appear in the caverns of the Crystal Quarry. The ancient elf reaches out, placing one hand against the tunnel wall for balance.

A rush of small feet, wide eyes, amd overlapping voices greet them. Cassidy pushes to the front of the group.

The kender blurts, "Cedron got called to the Tower and a few minutes later there was an explosion! Nearly all of the guards went to investigate!" He straightens to his fulI height and his voice drops, becoming serious, or at least as serious as he can manage. "I have assumed command of the Quarry's defenses."

Shadow says to Cassidy “Cedron went to the tower and then it blew up? Stay here and listen to me, if we have to flee the town, we will take the children to the Charmed Woods to the west of town. We can hide there. Hopefully, I am wrong but an explosion at the Tower seems ill-timed and suspicious. Be cautious. Be alert. And here,” Shadow hands him the Sack of Bigness. “Food and supplies. Extra pointy sticks and snacks. Pass them out and get everyone ready to move. I’m going to the Tower and if I come back in a hurry we will have to move out. Stay safe and quiet. Odds are they don’t know about the quarry. May your skill prevail.”  Shadow casts Overland Flight and takes off low and flies to the Tower. He nervously scans the air for any enemies as he moves to see what happened.

Seconds later, the lines of the magical circle Shadow carved into the floor begin to glow. Then, the air folds in on itself and with a flash of light, Ra'ziir, Grotto, and six scouts in mottled green and gray cloaks appear. The scouts are already raising their bows before the echoes of the displaced air can begin to fade.

Ra’ziir's violet eyes sweep the room. He instantly spots Cassidy handing spears drawn from Shadow’s bag of holding out to refugees and children.

The kender throws him a salute as he presses a sharpened stick into the hands of a brown-haired elf. "If we have to run, head for the Charmed Woods." The kender passes out another spear to the next elf in line and repeats the order.

Cassidy turns, "Hi, Raz! Hi, Grotto!"

Ra’ziir nods back at the Kender, "What happened here?"

"Soooo much! Cedron got called to the Tower to see Parnitha and then the Tower exploded, and then Shadow arrived, and then he asked what happened, and I told him, and he told me to stay here and hand out weapons, and he went to see the Tower for himself, and told me that if we have to retreat, we are supposed to take these kids to the Charmed Woods, and then you arrived, and asked what happened, and here we are!" Cassidy beams, "I am in charge of the children on account of my commanding voice."

Cor opens his mouth to speak and pauses, mentally reviewing Cassidy's summary of the situation, "That is actually pretty accurate."

"Oh! And," Cassidy adds, "we are supposed to keep everyone quiet. No screaming unless it's something really important...."

"Ooooh! Or a dragon! Then it's ok to scream!"

Ra’ziir turns to his scouts, “Escort the children to the woods. Stealth is paramount… we’ll rendezvous as soon as possible. Keep the children safe and hold the position until you receive further orders.”

Via the mindlink, Ra’ziir relays the information to Raven. “Any additional orders I should pass on before I head back to your position?”

Raven thinks back, "No. We are ready when you are."

Ra’ziir says “You’ve done a great job Mr. Greenbeans!” as he claps the Kender on the shoulder. Kneeling down to eye level with Cassidy he whispers, “Keep an eye on the Dwarf. This war may be rekindling a rage in him that is unpredictable. Trust him, but if something seems off, let the scouts know.”

And with that, Ra'ziir teleports away from the quarry.

THE PROTECTOR'S TOWER

Shadow flies across the river. On the docks below, he notices Eilra running toward the Tower, a squad of guards hot on her heels. Other guards race through the street, also rushing to their Commander's aid. The dark elf makes a quick circle around the crystal-topped structure. Smoke escapes from a single window. He banks and heads toward the balcony that is immediately adjacent and lands. A shadow briefly passes over him. He glances up and sees nothing but drifting clouds. His hand drops to his phoenix-blessed rapier and with the words of a spell on his lips, he heads inside.

As Shadow enters the Commander's office, he finds Cedron tending to the wounded elf.

The priest glances over to a guard, "Are you wounded?"

The spearmen tells him that he isn't.

Cedron nods, "Secure the stairway. Nobody comes up without having their identity verified."

The warrior nods and runs out of the room. He turns back to Parnitha, “Your safety is my priority. How may I help you?” He inquires. “We should move from this location immediately. They know where you are. There may be others.”

Parnitha exhales slowly, as if weighing pain against urgency. “You’re helping already,” she says. “But if there are more of those things, we don’t have long.” The elven commander lifts the chain from around her neck. The green gem daning from it glitters in the morning light. She passes it to Cedron. "This activates the crystal beacon atop the tower. Take it. Head upstairs. There is a ring of silver surrounding the beacon with a slot in it. Put the crystal in. Speak the words, 'By House Protector's oath - Light the forest' while turning the crystal like a key."

Cedron is immediately humbled by the responsibility Parnitha has bestowed upon him. He takes the chain with the green gem from her, “I will make it so.” The minstrel-priest wastes no time and rushes to the beacon atop the tower. “By House Protector’s Oath - Light the forest” he repeats to himself, ensuring he has the phrase memorized.