A bunch of ludicrously smart people plan

[Spus]

Victar's Suggestion

"I still say we should just cut and run. This whole region is incredibly overated. I'm sure Kojinro would be nice this time of year. The food isn't that bad. Really. It just takes some getting use to. Maybe take a lot of the tea here to help it go down easier. What do you mean your books? Zal's a good mule. Load them down on him. C'mon Zal, stop being such a spoil sport. Only 1 in every 42 or so are made from the flesh of innocents. Oh, some are made from the skin of Mass murderers...well, that's nice. C'mon, 2 weeks is plenty of time to pack a mass exodus..."

Maxi's Suggestion

"If we're going to go with an all out all or nothing assault. We ought to get more people on our side. We have various friends and allies who we could call on and would grant aid...however, the major downside is that we are risking many more lives than our own. The more people we bring with us to Abysin, the more chance we risk of the loss of death. In my studies, the area around there is unsteady- so falling there might curse one to eternity as a wandering soul- and out of all but the strongest magics. If we were to contact our other allies to assist us, it would only take a day or two at most to gather them. It may also be cumbersome keeping any semblance of order with so many people with us."

Adlai's Suggestion

"If your going to go on a suicide mission, go scout first. A little caution never hurt anyone. Go see what preparations have been made for our arrival. See if Skulryke laid any obvious traps. He is expecting us to charge down screaming for his non-flowing blood and all. Additionally, with a little through searching, we can clear any traps- so if we do follow it up, we've hurt a good deal of his preparation time. However, this still puts several vital personell at risk."

[demonlei]

Valletta's Suggestion

(not so smart, perhaps, but ludicrously wise... then again, she is wearing the "wisdom periapt" of Jal'Nareth's most idiotic king in all known history...)

We face too many unknowns to prepare a complex plan. We'll have to keep it simple and flexible. Both the scout and backup forces will have to be mobile, able to teleport in or out. The scout team should also potentially have the power of flight, the better to maneuver in a wide open area, and battle against a flying golden dragon. Lady Seonia, please prepare some Fly spells.

We will eventually have to go there en masse - the five of us plus Adlai, Oldath, Maxi, Victar, Jesse, and Khyron - to create a new seal. Those of you arcanists with the ability, please prepare as many defensive, protective, and teleportation powers to safeguard your own lives as possible. Invisibility is useless against Skulryke himself.

I presume our group of five would be the scout team. I would keep in touch with the rest of you through sending or telepathic bond. If we take a sixth with us, it should be Adlai, who is effectively immune to the threat of mortal death.

The gold dragon will almost certainly be there, and we will almost certainly have to slay it. Skulryke has the power of Wish, so let us slay it with a means that cannot be easily Wished back to life if possible.

The other liches may be there, and it may be possible to persuade them to withdraw once we tell them the full truth of Skulryke's plan - that Siliskor will become his phylactery and therefore pose no threat to him, and him alone, whether he succeeds or fails to control it. Knowing this, even Debelge might think twice about an eternity as Skulryke's and Siliskor's slave. Or chew toy.

The scout team should not teleport directly to the site. It should approach the site from some distance. Scrying the site before setting out may help.

And High Scholar Khyron... since Divinations are your specialty, our scrying attempts will most likely be severely inferior to yours. We will try our own feeble spells regardless, while trusting that you will volunteer any vital information your powers uncover. It is most unfortunate that your esteemed intellect has no positive suggestions for us mortals, and ghost, before we risk our lives and souls in service to your domain.

[Spus]

You have 10 int. No one should listen to you when they have 26. or something.

[wardragon]

Zalajin's addendum to the above (only 14 Int and Wis, but more Charismatic than the rest of them combined!)

Maxi, Adlai, and Valletta all make good points. We should know what we're getting into, and meet it with all the force we can muster. I reccommend the scouting party be of only two; myself, with Seo or Valletta. I'm the most mobile of the five of us, barring teleportation, and I can easily carry either of them without slowing down. We go in under invisibility and nondetection, and I fly high enough to stay out of reach of all but the liches and Zarthusa. If we are spotted, teleport or word of recall can get us out without a fight. Meanwhile, we gather anyone else who might be of help; there's no point in putting together a rank and file, with the power of each individual foe, but anyone who can take care of themselves and would be willing to help must be asked. Khyron and Victar, as the least combative of the arcanists, should stay in behind here, and start looking for anyone else to take up the torch if we fail.

[Spus]

I'm denying all plots that require a lot of ingame time to execute, as WD's probably would- the other 3 are left in the cold doing nothing.

[demonlei]

Valletta is sadly aware that most of those others whose aid we could summon - Vincent, Tewk, Styles, the Jal'Nareth, Uzinian, Aridian and Morbirgan armies - simply do not have the power to pose any significant threat to master arcanist liches, or a mighty golden dragon. Indeed they would be a liability, highly susceptible to being turned against us with the likes of Mass Suggestion.

Even most of the other arcanists are quite fragile... Oldath, beloved brother, and Lady Maxi simply do not have the physical endurance for a severe battle, and High Scholar Khyron... [lapses into silence].

Lightning Arms Jesse Kage would be an alternative sixth ally; though not immune to death as Adlai is, he is the only one with a solid chance of surviving the opening salvo of Hell about to be unleashed upon Orenero.

[Spus]

You will never know Khyron's stats. Or what he's capable of. Maybe Khyron IS Skulryke. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

*continues OOC goading*

[demonlei]

Uh huh... if he is, I accuse you of stealing the plot twist from Bard's Tale II (my first ever RPG... oh, how I loved playing that game on my neighbor's computer while the rest of you were eating baby food...)

[Spus]

Never played it.

[muk1000]

Seo adds what she thinks.

"First of all, I want us all to go in there with the best protections available. At worst, it forces them to waste time dispelling them. So I'd like to go to a magic shop and get a bunch of True Seeing and Mind Blank scrolls. I also agree with Valletta; telling the other liches about Skulryke's plans could make them rethink their alliance with him. I know you paladins greatly dislike any idea that involves letting liches leave alive-ish, but I hate the idea of Siliskor getting loose, with an unkillable Skulryke riding on the dragon's back. So if I can tip the scales, I'm gonna do it. Next, in regards to allies... well, I don't like putting others at risk, no. But we need more people with us, if only to make sure the destruction is spread around. A focused attack from them on just the few of us could tear us apart. And that brings me to my final point: we need to strike a balance between keeping some distance between us, so we can't be pelted with area spells, and staying close enough that we can aid each other easily. That especially goes for you, Valletta."

[stabs]

"This sounds too convoluted. I'm gonna get a beer and you guys call me when you need the gold dragon dead."

(AKA. If I spent the game half AFK writing my essay, sounds like I won't miss the final battle anyway with all this planning likely to take up the session.)

[Spus]

I agree with stabs.

[wardragon]

Which is why we're getting the planning out of the way on these boards.

"Alright, we don't have time for the scouting mission. Then we do it Seo's way; gather the scrolls, go in as well protected as we can, and bring Adlai and possibly Jessie to aid us. If you feel you can improve the odds of our success by talking to the other liches, go ahead and do so, just don't any promises about Perun or I. Skulryke and Siliskor are the top priorities for the time being."

[drkultra]

Perun's suggestion (Zomg, Charismatic to the Max! with both 14 Int and Wis)

"We have to attack from different positions its the only way for this to be salvagable, otherwise they will just unload all their multiple target magic on us and we will be history. We need to hit them hard, fast and try to confuse them.

Maybe if we split up, Jesse and Gash can take a point, Valleta and myself can take another point, and Seo and Zal can fly in. This way we give them multiple targets, making them divide their strenghts. Its easier to do it like this, it leaves Khyron, Maxi, Victar, Adlai and the rest behind, while Vincent, Styles, Gerome and Stevens might not be an idea guard, they are at the very least the start of a defense that could rally new people under their banner if worse comes to worse.

Currently the enemies we know are Jakkon, Debelge, Granil, Skulryke and Zarusthra. Knowing the Liches, they for now fear the kiss of eternal death, so Zarusthra will meet us first (god I hope), he will be empowered, bolstered and convinced we are truly the enemy. This is the good outcome, the bad outcome is all of them coming out on force.

Valleta and Seo speak about dealing with them, removing the veil from their eyes to the deciving of Skulryke, if they do stop figthing they are one less variable in combat, this would make our job easier and Skulryke's demise faster. But we have to act fast.

The idea right now is to do a triple point attack, after which we will take the opportunity to comment on the obvious end to Skulryke's grab at power. If Liches withdraw the better for us, if they dont, we attack full force, no buts, no questions asked. This is a battle for the future of the continent, not a tent meeting to make nice with the enemies.

Who is with me?"

[Spus]

Yeah the point was to discuss it now(since these are technically discussion forums) so we don't waste time on it Wenesday.

Like the loot topics. You do money things there, and preferably there. It annoys me very much when you grind the session to a halt to buy things.