Immersive Ink

danhem wrote:"Finding The Boar may be worthwhile Dorgan, but I wonder how long that would take amongst the Hinterlands. One week? Two weeks? More? Also on our first meeting he did not seem too concerned with assisting Ket. He seemed more driven toward his own personal glory."

Dorgan grumbles under his breath, "The Boar is exactly the kind of Man who would sacrifice all of us just so he could claim to be Liberator of Ket..."

"Hezmog, eh?" muses Highbough. "*I* am not afraid, but this lot... I do not think you would be welcome," he shrugs. "The thing you have to remember about goblins is that the leader they answer to is seldom a goblin himself. The Gholem Manual is certainly the work of a darker intelligence."

Day 6

Strategy is discussed at great length, with two options evolving in parallel:

Gustave's strategy is to strike from behind at Hezmog, cutting them off at the head, as it were, and then--having toppled the enemy--to blaze a trail back to Ket.

But while Gustave is off looking for fair maidens, Desmond's strategy is discussed: that being to cut the enemy's line of supply at Gzum Atog, isolating the forces at Ket--and ideally drawing some of them back--leaving the line of retreat (to occupied Ket) open.

"I cannot say whether this be good or ill council," says Gallaine, "But I have sent word to the Autumn Queen requesting that reinforcements be lent here. I should expect news of this in the coming days..."



Ulric secludes himself to study his mysterious tomes.


Highbough continues to invest himself in the Gholum Manual, seeking a weakness he believes these automaton must surely have...

d6

...but once again his efforts lead only to frustration. The manual details the construction of a Decision Box which, he concludes, is what passes for the Gholum's "brain", although it is located in the torso cavity, adjacent to it's "heart"--a shard of the mountain's heart. The decision box is really quite a pitiful thing, and it is doubtful the gholum is any more sophisticated than a mule or bovine. It is inconclusive whether heating this component would adversely affect the monstrosity--in fact it is doubtful that the thing feels heat or pain--or anything else--at all.

The source of it's animation is the faint echo of life that remains to the shard of the mountain's heart... surely that must be the key?



Meanwhile, Armando spends his day spying over Highbough's shoulder, and catching glimpses of the manual as opportunity presents: d6=6 and during the day manages to get a good look at the manual without alerting the canny old elf...

| As a 3rd level thief, Armando is able to decipher the meaning of arcane ciphers and symbols without recourse to a magical spell: d6=2 | but alas! The text therein is dense and as meaningless to him as a ramshackle of old cobwebs. That Highbough can make any sense of it at all is a mystery.... perhaps he is faking it? The few diagrams he spots appear to be of the mathematical or engineering sort--not anything that Armando is chiefly schooled in.

He can glean nothing meaningful without proper access to the text for a good long study for there is no profit to be had in mere glimpses and snatches of the works therein...

Are any of these goblin fortresses on our Hinterlands map? Or are they terra incognita?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss56 ... map1mb.png

Josiane sees about purchasing herself a coat of light mail, if possible.

Armando returns to the common area, where the Company are discussing strategy. At mention of The Boar, he suggests, "The true character of Sir Eberhardt is, truthfully, not altruistic. Nevertheless, his potential contribution to this conflict should not be discounted. Perhaps there is some way me might invite his participation at some critical juncture, if only we were we able to deliver him a letter — say, by Eagle; — and affixed with his family seal which, coincidentally, I have to hand. We might thereby profit from his adventurousness ... !"

Still, Armando remains puzzled and somewhat disturbed by the Gholem Manual in Highbough's possession; the few surreptitious peeks have been confounding and yet enticing — as if comprehension would come with but a few hours alone with the text. He considers broaching the subject with the old Elf ...

Having been denied an iron shirt, Beringar sulks, but not for long. Armando's brilliant proposal - and the talk of reinforcements - perks him right back up.

mushgnome wrote:Are any of these goblin fortresses on our Hinterlands map? Or are they terra incognita?

No new markings have appeared on your map.

Gallaine's map of the surrounds is a more beautifully rendered version of the mud map I drew below but--in the typical Elvish fashion--artistic license is given a great measure of license, so her map is more art than it is science (as in fact are all maps of this period). The Elves know the way to any places they are wont to visit, and don't concern themselves overly with places they don't wish to visit.

flightcommander wrote:Armando returns to the common area, where the Company are discussing strategy. At mention of The Boar, he suggests, "The true character of Sir Eberhardt is, truthfully, not altruistic. Nevertheless, his potential contribution to this conflict should not be discounted. Perhaps there is some way me might invite his participation at some critical juncture, if only we were we able to deliver him a letter — say, by Eagle; — and affixed with his family seal which, coincidentally, I have to hand. We might thereby profit from his adventurousness ... !"

Still, Armando remains puzzled and somewhat disturbed by the Gholem Manual in Highbough's possession; the few surreptitious peeks have been confounding and yet enticing — as if comprehension would come with but a few hours alone with the text. He considers broaching the subject with the old Elf ...

Desmond considers Armando's suggestion for a moment before replying, "I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with relying upon the Boar when we are at a critical juncture. I'd much rather see if we can use him to our advantage some other way, say by having him bring arms against Zuzyag or Hezmog while we attack Gzum-Atog. He might easily be lured by the thought of goblin riches... I wonder if Wen might be able to have his bird friends seek him out? Knowing his current location would be helpful in making decisions."

Dorgan says, "Does Gallaine know when The Boar headed inta the Hinterlands? I wonder if'n he even knows the Gobbos took Ket..."