~ Dire Struggle for Dillend: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Rinder's Six stands in the main hall of Fort Lowfield, opposite Captain Wheeler and his men, who glare at Dire Luthor and the party that surrounds him.

Cy is coming close to having enough of the "righteous man's" war. It is only the faith and determination of the party that is holding him to the idea that this campaign has any promise or potential what-so-ever. He clenches his fist in anger and frustration as the Captain scolds nad upbraids the party.

Emma immediately stifles a gasp of surprise and dismay at the announcement of Mitchend's doom. Her emotions are genuine, as she holds a great deal of patriotism for her country and the poor men that must have been lost at the fort. She closes her eyes and inwardly begins to cast doubt upon herself. Was there something more she could have done? Had her messenger-birds not arrived in time? Did Rinder's Six truly choose the best course of action?

She shakes her head slowly as if disagreeing with herself, trying to convince her own conscience that she did her best. "But my augury was clear!" she thought, falling back upon her faith, "Anhur placed great value upon our trip with Dire. The discovery of Caerloon's plans with regards to Rinder *is* important. Without it, much more than Mitchend might be lost...but still, why did it have to cost the lives of hundreds more, as well another Knight of Rinder? Poor Sir Moore!"

She bows her head in a brief prayer and places one hand over her heart in respect for the fallen warriors of Mitchend. "When will this all end?" she thought "Oh, Anhur, please defend us..."

As Emma prays, whispering the Ritual of Final Breaths, Cy's voice drops to a low, powerful, snarl that cuts through the room like glass: "We have deterred an army, fought our way through one, and nearly seen our deaths. That is why we are late. The man you forth about the mouth at has not only helped us, but is in the company of two devout followers of the god of Justice. Use your common sense man. Think for yourself." His statement made, Cy will leaves the rest of the talking to the more lugubrious members of Rinder's Six. If it comes to blows, he thinks, or to someone being arrested, he will have actions to match.

Crayne nods at Cy and looks at Wheeler through his deep eyes. "My friend here is right and his words are well placed. For you have little right to immediately scold us without listening to what we have to say. I am disapointed in your manner for we surely have proved our loyalty by now." Wheeler narrows his eyes, not taking it kindly that Crayne is now scolding him! "However," Crayne continues, "I am sure that you will provide us with apology once I explain the reason why this man stands here." Crayne bites his lip and tries to control his temper. He is annoyed at the sudden outburst but concedes that Wheeler does have an excuse.

Emma's eyes search those of Wheeler, trying to discern the amount of willingness that he has for listening to their explanation. For the moment, she allows Crayne to speak on their behalf, concentrating instead on using her intuition to gauge the reactions of the men at the table as well.

Crayne sits on one of the hard wooden chairs and rests his elbows on the table. Wheeler and his men follow Crayne's movements--the only in the room--with their eyes, but say nothing and do not move. Clearing his throat, Crayne glances around the room one more time and then begins, "This man, Dire Luthor, has been framed. The man you look at was not involved in any of the crimes that you accuse him of. There is no way this man could commit such a treacherous act. Why is it always the case that magic users are first to be blamed? We are so misunderstood; such a judgemental society..."

At that comment, Emma takes a sideways glance at Crayne. She realizes the mage wasn't directing those words to her priesthood, but rather the hasty rush to judgement that Captain Wheeler had chosen to exercise...and the suspicions that people in general associated with magic. She, herself, held many reservations regarding the extent of wizardly magic she had observed from Crayne and Dire. But, she understood that they used such powers with as much discretion as their personal philosophy allowed. And, she also took confidence in their earlier conversations that the Highbrow had at least some appreciation for the caste of Anhur and their involvement in mediating disputes of this kind. Hopefully, his plea for 'understanding' would also be honored with respect to her religion.

Edryd, too, glances at Crayne with a bit of concern, wondering where this diatribe on Rinder's society was going and how it would help their cause.

Crayne then continues, "Anyhow more to the point: This man here is a member of the Red Dragon school. The School is a secretive, powerful, and ancient sect of mages who blend themselves within our society. Through various positions of influence they guide our society much like any other powerful pressure group."

Wheeler's eyebrows immediately rise with Crayne's mention of the Red Dragon School. He casts a glance over his shoulder to one of his men, who nods slowly. Wheeler then returns his gaze to Crayne, listening (for a change!) to the mage speak. Dire has stopped struggling with the guards, realizing that his strength is no match for those brutes. He smiles as he thinks that Crayne, his student, might be in a position to save him, the mentor!

Emma takes another glance in the direction of Crayne and bites her lip. She feels that making a reference to the Red Dragon School, and especially referring to them as an ancient, powerful organization that works in secret to pull the strings of Rinder society, would only undermine their attempt to rebuild the Captain's trust in Dire Luthor. She silently hopes that Crayne knows what he's doing. Hopefully, he would make his point soon.

"However," Crayne continues, "the group has for the first time in their history..." Crayne pauses and looks at Dire to see his reaction, "become split over the forthcoming battle. I am afraid that the majority has backed the Kingdom of Caerloon. Dire here, quite rightly according to my judgement of the facts, stood out and told the Red Dragon Council to refrain from taking sides. Nevertheless, the majority disagreed with this neutral stance and so Dire was viewed as an immediate threat. Thus, the mages took it upon themselves to frame Dire and remove his voice from the Council. Dire suspected that one of the wizards in Caerloon's camp had Captain Frond and Sir Logan murdered in order to frame him. With Dire out of the way the Red Dragon school was free to move on and back the Caerloon army against the forces of Rinder.

"This is all very well, you may say. However, we do have evidence that helps to back Dire up and free him from these terrible accusations." Crayne nods at Dire, expecting him to reveal the information that they retrieved from the Caerloon camp.

Emma steps forward instead and says, "I have at least part of the information." She produces the map taken from the Baron General's tent, which she had kept after examining it at the Temple of Lentyr, saying, "Though it does very little to contradict the charges that have been brought against Dire Luthor, I believe you should understand that he was instrumental in aiding our party in the recovery of this map. It was taken directly from the Baron General Robert Wade the Third of Caerloon, whose army is encamped just five days ride southwest of Lowfield and Dillend.

"Also, as a Shield-Maiden of the Caste of Anhur," Emma continues, "I can tell you that Dire Luthor's life is in balance with regard to the scales of justice. There is no evil taint about him. As such, I do not believe him to be guilty of the charges of murder that have been brought against him. Instead, Rinder's Six has learned of a different source of the treachery that seems to plague us all...and ultimately it comes from the Caerloon forces and Red Dragon faction that have arrayed themselves against our nation. They seek to sow distrust among our people in order to weaken our wills when their armies march across our border. And yes, Captain, there is an army coming. We have seen it with our own eyes."

Emma takes a moment to allow that information to sink in, curious as to how the Captain and his men might receive it. She squeezes the map scroll in her hand, wondering if Wheeler possesses the wisdom to have an open mind with regard to Dire Luthor and Rinder's Six. Could he understand the danger?

Crayne glances at Emma and nodds in a respectful manner listening intently to her words. Waiting patiently for her to finish Crayne adds, "This piece of information is the worst we could have received for the Red Dragon School are strong and powerful and to fight them as well as the Caerloon forces puts us in a much weaker position. Nevertheless at least we know what we are up against."

Storm leans his shoulder on the back wall of the room and coughs loudly. He crosses his arms as he listens to the conversation, and barely watches as Wheeler walks across the room, pacing and considering Emma and Crayne's points, especially about Dire. When Dire was seized Storm had suddenly stood, as if physically saying "huh??" But as words and actions are yelled and performed quickly, Storm is just tiredly confused. His hands subconciously end up on the hilts of his swords, but he's too tired to fully comprehend what's going on.

Hannibal watches quietly from a distance as the group argues with the fort's guards. He wasn't fond of magicians, and Dire seemed to even put him further on edge, but Hannibal realized that for Rinder's Six and the men of this fort to triumph in holding their ground, they would need Dire's help.

The man Emma was arguing with specifically didn't really impress Hannibal at all. He seemed to be the typical soldier, dumb and narrow minded...not a true warrior like Cy or Edyrd were. Already weary and tired from the long ride, this conversation would soon put him on edge for sure. Grabbing a close by chair, he sits down to rest his tired bones, hoping that a warm bed was somewhere in his immediate future. He still didn't feel fully rested from the last big fight, and to go headlong into the next was not something he looked forward to.

Hannibal keeps his hand on his dagger as he sits. He doesn't expect to have to use it, but just in case. Should one of the soldiers make an aggressive move, Hannibal thinks, he will react with equal force, trying not to kill but rather to maybe get the captain by the throat. Otherwise, Hannibal will keep himself firmly planted in his chair and will only stand should the group move to a tactics conference.

Emma unfolds the map and approaches the Captain so he might see the information for himself. She's somewhat unsure if he would wish to share all that the map displays with the men behind him. "As you can see, we must relay this information as quickly as possible to our forces," she says, "It is the truth! And arguing about it won't change it one bit. Our people are ill-prepared to deal with a conflict of this scale. Also, our leaders in Merriam and Parton will want to hear this report for themselves. It will no doubt affect their decisions regarding these 'border skirmishes' that they've been hearing about..."

Emma leans closer to the captain's ear and finally whispers quietly for only him, "One last thing, Captain. There is to be a meeting of the Knights of Rinder in Seden very soon. Our Caerloon adversaries have planned an attack to eliminate them once and for all...and they have enlisted the aid of our own countrymen to do it. The countrymen that I speak of does not include Dire Luthor, and regardless of your personal feelings in this matter, you must set them aside. The scrolls of Anhur teach us that a judgement cannot be rendered clearly and fairly when we allow our emotions to cloud it. Justice demands attention. So give us yours, Captain...I implore you! The fate of the Knights of Rinder and our nation as a whole depends upon it!"

Emma finally steps back to let the Captain, or one of the other members of Rinder's Six to speak. She keeps the map in her hand for the moment, carefully rolling it up as she watches and listens. Inwardly, she hopes that her words were well-received.

Crayne speaks again, having retrieved the letters from the Red Dragon Mage, Rainsford, and the King of Caerloon from Dire. He unrolls them and presents them to the Captain as evidence. "From this I am sure that common sense permits you to see that Dire has

been framed. The man that stands here is a great and innocent one. He has agreed to stand with us at the battle of Dillend. We need all the assistance we can get at the moment and Dire's will be huge. You may be rest assured of that." Crayne then nods and awaits the judgement of Wheeler.

There is a tense moment in the hall. Then one of Wheeler's men steps up to the Captain and whispers something in his ear. It is too quiet for anyone else to hear, but Wheeler nods and then turns to face the party.

"Very well," he begins, as if pronouncing judgement. "What you have provided us is of great value, and I am sure the Knights will appreciate your efforts. As for you, Luthor," he steps one step closer, "I am not convinced of your innocence, completely. But now I see that there are others with more convincing motives than you to have murdered Frond and Logan. And in light of this new information, I am willing to let you live."

There is a collective sigh of relief from the party. Edryd smiles widely, and Canter nods to Crayne, congratulating the mage on his convincing defense.

"But," Wheeler says loudly, "do not think that you have been completely cleared. I will be watching you, and I will recommend to my superiors in Merriam, and to the Knights, that they keep a close eye on you."

Wheeler then turns to the rest of the party. "And to the rest of you, I suppose I owe an apology. Who can say whether Mitchend could have been saved if you had arrived just two days earlier. I don't know, I wonder whether the gods even know. My brother..." Wheeler stops, seeming a bit choked up and stifling a tear, "...at Mitchend," he sniffles, "would have wanted to meet you at Dillend." The Captain collects himself.

'Oh, no!' Canter thinks to himself, 'Captain Wheeler's brother must have died at Mitchend! Perhaps that's why he was so angry...'

"But now there is much planning to be done," Wheeler says with a nod. He turns and walks to the table in the center of the hall, motioning for all to gather around. The guards let go of Dire's arms, but the mage doesn't immediately join in the conversation. Instead he stays aloof, watching from afar.

Wheeler motions to the map on the table, very similar to the map secured by Storm at Wade's camp. He takes the letters from Crayne, handing them to one of his men and instructing him that copies should be made and sent to the remaining forts, the King at Merriam, and the Council Knights. He also takes Wade's map (the one showing troop strengths and movements), and lays it down on the table next to his own.

Crayne looks around at the group, "Where's that map that I asked for? You know the Fort Dillend one! I'd like to have a look and see whether we can come up with something!"

Cy nods and reaches into his bag. "I have made some notations on this map," he tells the group and the Captain. "Applying my experience and making some suggestions for the mission ahead." He then unrolls the map and places it on the table next to the other two.

Canter smiles and nods to Cy, "Well done, man. That will surely help. But Captain, how many men will we have to retake Dillend?"

Wheeler removes his chestplate, placing the heavy bronze piece on a chair and stretching his arms to refocus his energies. He looks to Canter, to his men, and then to the rest of the group before answering.

"That is part of the problem, my friend. Before Mitchend fell, we could count on men stationed there, and the men arriving with Sir Moore from Seden. But since Mitchend is gone, we are on our own, with reinforcements days away. These documents you provided me, I'm having them sent to the Knights and the King. They will surely order more troops raised, but that will take time. And I believe that is time we, Dillend, and Rinder just don't have."

"I agree," Edryd says, nodding to Wheeler.

"Sir," one of Wheeler's men says.

"Yes, Ramsen?" Wheeler responds.

"Forgive me a question to Rinder's Six here. But this map says that there are Orcs among this division of Caerloon troops. Is this true? Have you seen it?"

Storm lets out a growl. "Yes," Hannibal says, responding to Ramsen, "this map is accurate on that point." Ramsen is not pleased with that response, though understandably so.

"We have 125 men, plus you," Wheeler says. "I insist that we leave fifty men here, at least, to defend Lowfield. If Lowfield comes under attack, fifty men cannot hold her for more than a few hours. However this is a balancing act, and any attack on Dillend will require as many men as we can spare. That leaves seventy-five, plus Rinder's Six.

"Now rumor has it that Rinder's Six has among its members an excellent tactician or two," his eyes scan the group, "would he or she, or any of you, like to propose suggestions for how to attack Dillend, defended by at least 300, with a group of eighty-three?"

1. The map with Cy's notes has been posted on the web site. From the main page, under the "Maps" section, click on "Cy's notes on the Map of Fort Dillend." Or click on this link.

2. What suggestions would you like to make for the battle ahead? An all-out frontal assault with all 83 men? Or perhaps a more covert operation? Now is the time for ideas, and I encourage a bit of debate while the plan is ironed out!

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