At the war council held by High Lady Liara Grayson, the problem of the thorn barrier was brought up. As a surprise to no one, Archduke Patrizio Pravus suggested fire. With both Arvani Fire and the thornweave poisons being alchemical works, an idea popped into Medeia's head in the moment, and she suggested that she and other trusted alchemists should work together to create a poison-fire hybrid that would be formulated specifically to burn away the thorns. The Voices of the realm who were present supported this plan.

In the time since that meeting, Medeia has been hard at work getting everything organized for undertaking the experimentation that will be needed. An expedition of brave souls was sent to the barony of Gilthern in the Crownlands to collect samples of the thorn vines. No one died! Approximately 35 feet of vine was recovered - in seven five-foot lengths. Additional conversations have been had regarding gaining access to supplies of both Thraxian Fire and Arvani Fire - in case one is more suited to the hybridization than the other, and determining the best way to deliver the resulting concoction. Further, she has reached out to some of the best and brightest alchemical minds in the city to assist with the work.

When the time comes and supplies are at hand, Medeia offers Seawatch Sanctuary as a workspace and staging ground. She has cleared the estate of anything and anyone valuable - if anything goes wrong with the Arvani Fire, she has prepared to lose the building. Of course, she hopes it does not come to that. Before she begins, she lifts prayers to several of the gods: Petrichor to help them destroy the tainted thornweave, Lagoma to support the cleansing power of fire, Skald for the freedom of choice that defeating the Traitor will secure... She encourages others to join her and lift their own prayers to the gods, as well.

Then? It is time to work. Within the limited time and resources available, every possible combination of thornweave poison and Thraxian or Arvani Fire is tested. It is hard enough to make the thornweave poison. She pours the whole of her concentration into achieving this, single-mindedly concentrating on success and pouring all of her energy into the final outcome.

Chemicals and items to produce the earlier version, Goop, that was helpful in killing smaller thorny vines was expensive. Saik has offered 3000 economic resources, 1000 military and 200,000 silver should it be needed to help this effort be successful. (ooc it is in Lucita's inventory)

On a personal level, as a singer, she plans to wait till samples of thorny vines are available, seedlings, clippings or seeds, then assist the Alchemist effort by spell-singing to help stimulate vine growth to both harvest the sap and later to have samples to test effects.

Patrizio Pravus, indeed, was the one who suggested the use of fire against the thorns - it is effective as a deterrent against the abyssal trees that besiege the southern city of Pieros in the Saffron, along with the earthworks erected to the south of the city. Given his suggestion to build a palisade about the thorn field and ignite the plants beyond, he's present to consider how best to apply the result and to ensure that it does not backfire to harm the forces of the Compact.

In order to help the alchemists, many of whom are part of her very own Auxiliary branch of the Physicians, Giada makes sure that all non-thorn supplies are ample and immediately at hand. She also shares a couple of momentos with Medeia, handing over a piece of withered vine and a hardened nub of sap that she had collected from the Whisper House vines. This is to allow the alchemists to find similarities (if they exist) that might help inform the process.

Mirari is well versed in alchemy, specifically poisons, so she will bring these skills to the table. Here to assist in the creation of a substance combine poisons and fire, she will help with the development and testing of the concoction working together with the other alchemists. Mirari will contribute her staff at Of Works Obscura to help as well, as she does have a few alchemists under her employ as well.

Fatima has put herself in charge of obtaining the Thraxian Fire, since she is after all a Thrax. She has obtained permission from Alarissa to take as much Thrax Fire as needed, and House Thrax will provide however many resources are necessary for this. Siege weapons are also available for the delivery method, should the experiments prove successful. If the experiment is successful, she'll ensure that enough Thrax Fire is provided for a large operation against the Wall of Thorns. She will use the Isles Canines ships to ferry the stuff wherever it needs to go.

Thea took part in the expedition, so naturally she would want to help contribute to the alchemy part as well. With the knowledge she's gained regarding alchemy, magic, herbalism, and a few other things, she begins getting to work.

Mabelle has had her share of experimenting with alchemy lately and once again she lends her talents to the aide of the city. She leaves her valuables at home, including her pets, wears her armor and set out. A vial of her previously concucted elixir against the minions of the Traitor at hand, she helps out with all the dreadfully dangerous mixing.

Isolde isn't exactly an expert or even a novice when it comes to alchemy or even magical plantlife. She does have some experience in gathering and organising supplies, however. She will offer whatever logistical support is needed and ensure there's always money available.

Galatea's alchemical creations have in fact been used before to destroy magical trees--more or less melting one of them down through the roots, some years previously. This was originally a mixture created for the Iron Guard to separate base metals from noble metals. It had the side benefit of also being entirely lethal to organic matter. Thus, it's the 'poison' side of the equation that she focuses on, more than the fire. In the spirit of cooperation, Galatea shares everything about this past creation, in order to better create a foundation for subtances that would quickly dissolve bark and vine. The presence of sample vines likewise provides an excellent opportunity for any pre-modern scientist's favorite activity: experimentation. There was perhaps a touch of manic excitement about Galatea as she poured one highly poisonous mixture after another on these samples to figure out just what would be most lethal. Perhaps she even managed to avoid inhaling toxic fumes herself. (Safety protocols sometimes fall slightly by the wayside when she gets like this.) She is prepared to spend a truly considerable amount of economic resources to get the job done, if need be.

Jaenelle is assisting in a more leadership role than actually assisting in the creating of the poisons. She makes sure people have what they need when they need it, and brings people together to make sure support is at hand. She has connections, she has the resources, and people tend to do what she says when she wants something done.

Eirene is one of the originators of the Thornweave poison, so it's only sensible she's on board for this. She uses her arcane and alchemical knowledge to try to weave together herbalism, alchemy, and magic because this seems like the occasion for all three.

Lianne's new to this project, but not to these concepts. Mostly, she'll follow others' leads, acknowledging their expertise on this subject matter. When appropriate, she shares her own expertise, familiar with the occult, with Blight, with the way magic works and how unpredictable it can be, how unlike science. Thematic narrative might not usually have a role in alchemy, but it may help here.

It takes a tremendous amount of work and experimentation to create the hybrid substance, as Arvani fire really is not keen to be mixed with quite nearly anything. But eventually, after much effort, they are able to merge it with the solvent, and no plant growth sands much of a chance against it. They launch it at the hedge, and vast swaths are immediately destroyed, to much cheering by the troops gathered there. Only it immediately grows back with extremely disconcerting speed.

But then the scouts inform Medeia of a discovery- that the Hedge is powered by the Horned God's magic tied with the moon, of the dead god he seeks to raise. And the tall towers of Harrow Hall block one particular segment from being touched by moonlight. Medeia goes there.

House Velenosa's leadership was made aware of Malrico's sticky fingers some time ago, but had to deal with the issue slowly and carefully to avoid detection. With his death, there is a little more room to maneuver to dig through the layers upon layers, leaving no stone left unturned and no ledger left unopened. House Velenosa will explore their own accounts, trading ledgers, and bank statements in hopes to start from the top to work downward. The Great House will also travel to other domains, specifically Caith under House Gilden and Fen de Lire under House De Lire (for this round of crisis actions), as they are the smallest of Velenosa's vassals and it would not be a surprise if Malrico's allies took advantage of their size to sneak things from the Lyceum into coffers elsewhere.

With the investigations into Lenosia, Caith, and Fen de Lire, it is House Velenosa's goal to root out those left responsible, close loose ends, stop further embezzlement, and recover what they can.

Berenice is clever, but not an accountant. However, what she is very good at is persuading /other/ people to give her information. So that is what she will focus on: finding people who may know something, and then convincing them to share. Will a few end up snared to be tossed to Harlex the Headsman in the course of matters? Maybe.

Evaristo has a FAINT idea - just a little he knows from rumors, it's not like he ever SMUGGLED or anything, of course not - about how illegal money is made and hidden. So, he joyfully gets to work on what he has done for years already - talking to the right people at the right places along the coast cities of the Lyceum, using his old cog to do so and not announcing exactly who he works for. He is a known TRADER since decades, and known in many harbours, after all. So, rumor gathering, talking to smugglers and other shady types, for any hints of the gold that disappeared.

There are likely not many alive who know Lenosia as well as Arman does, given his age and deep ties to every part of the city. He knows all the prominent families, business folk and traders. They might even owe him a favor or two, real or imagined. He uses this network to investigate any usual flows of coin, by whom, and where they might lead.

Noah can be a man of extremely charming grace. He is afterall, a Grayson. However, he is more known for when the charm doesn't work. To be the shadow to the Archduchess' radiance. This is what he does in regards to Malrico. There are those things that people know who shouldn't. Those that also walk the line of shadow and of interest. He will banter where needed and more importantly -- threaten -- where needed. His RestingGraysonFace gives more to this.

He has been known to make an ill-timed joke, but he's also known for running tackling those involved in the economic 'crisis'. He is quite the wordsmith and just how he'll implement the various techniques of finding answers and he's extremely unapologetic about it. Poison parties? All the rage, until the poison is explained in the most painful manner. While the Archduke Consort may temper his -- temper at the request of his wife. He also lets it known that he's more than happy to lose that temper too. He hopes to find out what is happening, no matter what it takes.

Though she doesn't have as much experience in the world of economics as some, she knows enough that she's willing to put it through the test. She'll go over the ledgers and see if there is any suspicious laundering, fraud, embezzlement. She will come down hard on anything resembling a pyramid-scheme.

Having spent the past year in Lenosia, basking in the social scene, the moment Silvio heard of the business with Malrico's sticky fingers and the subsequent Velenosa investigation, he set to work using both his charm and his skill at manipulation to subtly pursue any whisper of a rumor which might aid his family in this matter.

Far better with people than ledgers, Silvio will use every ounce of guile at his disposal - his smiles, his banter, vague promises, and the very best wine, of course - to seek out leads into those aforementioned loose ends and missing funds.

Harlex knows one way to deal with 'loose ends' and as Sword of Lenosia, he's all too ready to snuff out those responsible. Once allies of Malrico are identified, as well as the coffers they've stuffed, he'll set upon them as a hunter to its prey. The grisly work will speak for itself, and hopefully the rest get the red message. Most nobles think they have silver-tongues until someone is pinning them to a parlor wall with a longsword.

To say that Enyo has an interest in Malrico and his deeds is a bit of an understatement, it might be argued that it's becoming an obsession. That paired with the news that Velenosa was going to start with two domains that she once called home it was an easy choice for her to lend what aid she could in the investigations.

Caith and those within it was a somewhat brief stint, however Fen de Lire was not, plus her son still technically has stake there considering his parentage. So Fen de Lire is her primary focus, reaching out to those she knows and had dealings with when she was Baroness de Lire to see if she can't assist with getting to the bottom of everything. Ledgers, books, scrolls, anything that has a physical trail, but she also will be looking into rumors and whispers as often things done in secret don't always leave a physical trail to follow.

As the current minister of Economics for House Velenosa, Quenia will be scouring the past logs made by previous ministers for any information that might seem like a discrepancy and compare them to her current logs and the logs that everyone has sent her since her tenure of what's due to House Velenosa. Anything she finds will be reported to Jaenelle.

She'll also take some time to visit Lenosia, Caith, Fen De Lire and take a boots on the ground approach and talk to the various merchants that are found within the cities. She'll visit the docks, the banks - particularly in Lenosia, and any other place that might offer a way to find information that might give them a clue as to where Malrico might have influenced business, trade, and banking in all of the cities. She'll use her authority as the Great House's minister to get access where she is able and also take some time to meet up with some long standing contacts she may have in each city.

As Minister of Income for House Gilden, Vittorio is going to spend his time reviewing the ledgers of the collections over the past several years and trying to identify any individuals who seem to be involved in under collecting according to the books. If he can find anyone who MIGHT be involved, he will do his best to talk to them and convince them that it was "ok" to have been involved, and that it would not be their fault if they were snookered. He will try to engender some trust in the individuals in question, tell them that it will be fine so long as they can help him track down where the funds went. Of course, in reality, while _Vittorio_ may not take action against them, House Velenosa might with that information, but those people do not need to know that.

No house has been as affected by Malrico's antics quite like House Velenosa. He hasn't been the greatest of ancestors and it shows with every new revelation that their investigations uncover.

He and his agents may have been incredibly careful with their paper trails but it's not hard to question/torture/seduce an agent who just so happens to have copies of ledgers before the numbers were altered. Perhaps they'd once foolishly hoped to use it for blackmail. Even without paper evidence, the information they're able to draw out of people is telling and the amount of money embezzled from simply the past decade is astonishing. Funds that had been withdrawn for projects that never happened, missing taxes, counterfeit coin used to cover up tracks.

Many baronies seem to have fallen prey to these machinations with corrupted Ministers and advisors. Or sometimes even thieves that had gone unnoticed. With the exception of Baron Demarcio, who is currently in Lenosian custody (if not already killed), the rot doesn't seem to have gone up as high as leadership of the baronies. Nonetheless, with the number of agents that they have apprehended and questioned, they've chipped away at the influence of the merchant families and criminals operating in the Lyceum, in service to Malrico.

All that was left in the end was to find Malrico's stash, in the island south of Caith that they were previously informed about. It's an island that most had never noticed despite many travels down this route... perhaps an enchantment had worn off. It has seen better days and whatever scouts that remained were unable to defend the horde in the face of Velenosa's fast ships. Monstrous entities with flesh blended with molten gold and gemstones, that were left to guard the horde were dispatched, leaving behind only clumps of flesh with their deaths, allowing the party to recover the treasures held within the island.

What they encounter is an absurd sum. Potentially billions worth of gold and treasure scattered throughout the island. It's a ridiculous amount of wealth that would surely shatter the economy if knowledge of it became public.

((OOC: I've added 25 million to Velenosa's vault - for now to represent what they physically return to Lenosia - and will alter their income accordingly.)).

The Lyceum was home to the former Dominus, Orazio, and Velenosa's words of No one may harm us unpunished strikes true for any and all who have called the Lyceum their home. House Velenosa will not attack those who have harmed one of ours with steal of swords but of wit and charm and the brand of diplomacy often embraced within the south than most other fealties, manipulation. A propaganda mission to remind people who Dominus Orazio, and what he accomplished. House Velenosa will remind people that assassinations are poor sportsmanship, especially to get what you want and then not even get that. A celebration of the Faith and the traditions upheld by the Dominus as only the Lyceum can do.

Arman is persuasive at an individual level and at convincing the masses as a whole. Given how literate the Compact is, Arman will oragnize a leaflet campaign where his agents go about key towns and villages in the isles posting messages denouncing the claims of Waldo and how supporting him is dangerously close to apostasy.

Well Isolde's certainly keen to nullify the influence of Waldo in the Isles and prevent the anti-dominus from acquiring new supporters. Isolde uses her vast knowledge of theology to combat many of his talking points, suggesting that the changes being made are good things actually. In addition, she'll list the many things that Orazio had done in his time as Legate and then Dominus. She'll put emphasis on justice and the law - hinting strongly that Waldo's rebellion goes against the tenets of the Sentinel. She'll also remind the people that Aureth is the choice successor and so if any of them respected Orazio, they should stay behind the /real/ Dominus of the Faith.

There aren't many places where Theo doesn't have a connection and it's by these veins that his word spreads. He will verbally combat Waldo's influence by planting seeds of information that he predicts will spread like wildfire, with a goal to redirect focus to the true Dominus and how Waldo's rebellion is oath breaking at its very core. He will speak on all the accomplishments of Dominus Orazio and on the true traditions of the Faith to the right people he knows will take the information and run with it. While Theo is not one for public grandstanding, he knows exactly where to be at the right time for his word to have the most impact among prominent groups of Islanders and non-Islanders alike.

Alistair is a man of Faith and not Faith. He certainly feels bound to Sentinel, but has never been one for the rigidity of civilized faith that came with bending the knee and joining the Compact. Despite that he worked alongside Orazio many times and respected the man greatly. Even if he is a Beast of the Sword, he can try and offer a stern and dour word or two. Show that even a once prodigal like him deeply respected the man and the Inquisition as a whole did as well. Primarily he will keep his efforts down played, as he knows the Faith is not a fan of him, so he will likely seek to protect others who engage in this mission of words, to make sure they are not waylaid, interrupted, or assailed.

At one point in Quenia's life when she was working for her brothers, she had a network of people whom she considered friends, allies, and information brokers. She reaches out to that network to start a propaganda campaign to remind everyone what a good and decent Dominus that Orazio was and how he always had a helping hand for the people and reminded them often of the will of the Gods. He was a guidling light among the Compact that many looked up to and favored, until Waldo killed him in cold blood in the Queen's Rest that fateful day, and then proclaimed himself the Dominus of the Compact. This is not the way of the faithful, to kill their successors and then name themselves the keeper of the faith. These are the actions of a baseless, cowardly murderer who could not have made a bid as Dominus of the Faith in good faith, so contrived his own reasons for doing so. She throws her support behind House Velenosa and reminds everyone that Dominus Aureth is the rightfully elected leader of the Faith.

Agostino will begin spreading a couple of different messages among his friends and contacts, targeted a bit differently for two different groups. The first message will be targeted toward Isladners, and will speak to how Waldo's split from the Faith goes against Limerance, as he has broken his holy vows of service to the Dominus. That his "election" did not take place according to the traditions of the Faith, and so his subsequent claims of defending tradition are pure hypocrisy with a foundation of oath-breaking.

For those outside of the Isles, the discussions he attempts to start are a bit more pointed. He reminds any non-Islanders who seem to lean toward supporting Waldo that he set down this rebel path solely to defend the "tradition" of thinly-masked slavery in the Mourning Isles.

Macario connects with the Mourning Isles traditionalists on their shared appreciation of law. This is a two-fold attempt, that on the first he simply wishes to charm them. Law sets precedence, and precedence strengthens bonds. Without rules and law, there be chaos. But further to that point, legal contracts define how the people work together and the nasty business of assassinations and wars could wipe out centuries of legal work (contracts would become unenforceable). Mostly, though, Macario is charming and his instincts would help navigate this path set by Jaenelle.

To aid House Velenosa's goal to reminding the Lyceum of the good works from Dominus Orazio. The Duke Martino will be making a public address in Southport about the good work from the former-Saik Dominus to remind citizens that one of our own gave their life for the Compact. Additionally a feast in the Dominus' honour organised.

Waldo, Waldo, Waldo... that troublemaker! Lucita has come in contact with him before during her efforts to help Ailith in Sungreet. Songs were effective before, songs of hope, of unity, of loyalty, of faith. They swayed people's thoughts, their moods, helped counter Waldo's efforts. Thus she selects from songs of the past and some she wrote herself, sings, and teaches them to others to distribute them joyfully as a propaganda tool. It is especially satisfying to her to participate in this since Orazio was a Saik!

Prince Galen Thrax is not just a Warlord and does not just aid his blood-given house. With his sister ruling the Lyceum Galen has taken on some tasks to assist them, primarily with military training, naval guidance, and other such matters. However, Galen is also gifted in the arts of charm and propaganda and it is this that he employes on behalf of Velenosa. Over the years he has traveled far and wide and built quite a network of connections. It is this network, his charm, and his talents that he uses to help push the messaging his sister desires. If there is a grand opportunity to do some drinking along the way or to influence people...This he would not pass up nor would he a chance to be generous and honor Gild!

Ysabel goes for a more simplistic and modest route. Tending to the needs of the local villages and people by offering a friendly hand out of fruits from her House's orchards while also making idle chit chat and slipping some propaganda into the ears of her listeners. She tells them of the great deeds and works Dominus Orazio did and how Dominus Aureth is the rightful leader. She asks them what there worries and concerns are, and tries to lift their spirits up. Making friendly with the people is one way to win there hearts and votes, and obviously turn the tide in Aureth's favor.

The Lyceum has had their eyes turned to Arx since the moment that Orazio was named Dominus, and they haven't been able to peel their attention away since. As much as Lycenes enjoy the intrigue (or perhaps because they do), having one of their own being closest to the Gods bore a certain mark of pride. When he was struck down, there was outrage against Waldo and his supporters. That was /their/ Dominus. His popularity was highest amongst the Saiklands, and so they have the strongest degree of anti-Waldo sentiment.

There are a good number of people in the Compact that don't necessarily approve of Aureth's rise to Dominus, some because of his support of a 'new' God and others because of the association with his family prior to joining the Faith. He's a hard sell in those areas of the Compact. Not necessarily in the Lyceum for obvious reasons, but there are holdouts still.

Velenosa's attempts to truly win those holdouts over for Aureth don't go as well as might be hoped for. But they also don't go horribly wrong either. There's a bit of 'pro-Aureth' sentiment brewing on its own already, partially because the Dominus that was assassinated was one of their own. If Waldo is going to go around killing a perfectly good Dominus then they're /almost/ glad he was replaced with someone even less traditionalist! It's not something that they'd announce at the Assembly of Peers, but it's there in the undercurrent.

Traditionalists are still upset across the major domains, a fact that makes it especially difficult to nudge those stances from quips at parties to more public facing announcements. Those that might normally be more emboldened, are working to keep things peaceful in their own holdings and so are sticking to their own personal interests for now.

As for those that are following Waldo in the Lyceum? Their hearts remain unchanged for the moment, but they are quiet. They're smart enough to know that House Velenosa is watching them and that 'no one may harm us unpunished' is not just a fancy catchphrase.

In recognition of the technological advancement now available to the Compact as a whole regarding the Lenosian-class caravels, the King and his Council has provided partial funds in addition to House Velenosa, so that the Rites of Protection against Fable may be performed. Talen is going to operate under the orders of his wife and liege, Eleyna Velenosa, with his protege Driskell. Together they'll combine their occult and theological understanding to perform the rite so as to protect the knowledge of making ocean-faring vessals for the people of the Compact.

Driskell will be assisting Talen and Eleyna with the Rites of Protection against Fable utilizing his experience and skills in the occult and religion, focusing his abilities with the desired outcome of the Lenosian-class caraval ship designs are protected and not lost.

Isolde will join in performing the rite, putting to use her strength of spirit and knowledge of both the occult and theology.

The small group gets together and settles in. This is a serious moment, to protect something that has taken so many resources and so much time. And so they focus and prepare and, not without a small bit of trepidation, they begin. It starts well - indeed they are all in tune with each other, and much as it has happened before this rite is comfortable, familiar. There is that heady sense of joy in doing something important, in protecting something for the good of everyone.

And then something seems to go wrong. They struggle to hold concentration as Driskell cries out. Indeed, even as they hold their focus his hand is burning, burning as though he is holding a hammer made of metal, heated white hot. As though he is building one of these caravels himself, but doing so with tools that burn. Is that the scent of burning flesh? Can they hold on?

Driskell does - and so do they all. The rite finishes on a triumphant note, and the plans are protected. But seared into his palms are the shape of the handle of a hammer, and it takes a long time to heal.

After the Mirrormask meeting, Isolde cannot help but feel the slightest bit lacking. Hearing of how Driskell served the 13th so devotedly and of Arianna’s plans to spread his worship, has been equal parts humbling and inspiring.

Eager to show the city and her fellow disciples that her passion for the Dark Reflection has not dimmed, Isolde plans to take to the streets. Commoners are often overlooked when nobles preach, seen as unimportant or not worth one’s time. But a princess knows that she needs the faith of the people as much as she needs the backing of her noble peers.

Breaking it down, Isolde plans to focus her efforts on preaching the 13th’s word to the lower and middle class of Arx. Commoners will be encouraged to attend sermons and meditations through acts of charity. Isolde and any Mirrormasks she can convince (along with people she might hire to pad the ranks) will serve free meals to attendees, offer limited child care while laborer parents are at work, and offer free healing to the poorest of the poor. This insures that young children will be exposed to the 13th in a more favorable light and that disciples previously seen as creepy or intimidating will hopefully gain a more helpful and kind reputation.

Mirrormasks. They're not exactly the most lauded of the Pantheon's worshippers. Most in Arx give them side-eye and look askance, but Princess Isolde Velenosa knows one important thing - when you're hungry and poor, money talks. So the common folk aren't thrilled to listen to her sermon, but she's bringing child care and medicine and food to the Lowers, and that's enough to have people tolerate her long enough to eat. By the end of her sermon, they're not grumbling at all - she's feeding them and looking after their needs and that's not such a bad thing, and she does make some good points, they discuss among themselves. Maybe, they tell themselves, maybe there are some good Mirrormasks after all.

Esera told Isolde about the hiding places for the earrings and the note, so she'll secure those items to get them to a location that someone ambitious might not look for. Looking for possible clues to be left, specifically in the garden, or those hidden spots.

Isolde finds the earrings, untouched and unharmed, and takes them for safekeeping. There are no clues where the earrings were hidden, and none in the garden. But it feels good to have those earrings. Comforting. She feels a fierce need to keep them.

Lady General Calypso Malvici has been assigned as the field commander to lead an assault up-river to attack one of the four columns of Brand’s army. She will be leading forces from House Malvici, House Velenosa and House Pravus in the form of infantry and archers. Other commanders she is coordinating with are Prince Victus Thrax, Princess Deva Redrain, Princess Alis Valardin and Duke Valkieri Rubino.

The host of Compact forces will be traveling up-river by boats provided by Thrax, the Lyceum and the Black Mountain Training Company. We will be searching for an ideal location to set up our assault. High ground for archers, a place to anchor the ships and a field for the infantry. All with the goal of eliminating the entire column of Brand’s forces to weaken the army by one fourth.

Calypso will also be wielding Truestrike, the alaricite rapier during this battle.

The group of soldiers Inigo is in command of are the remnants of the same crew he commanded at the Battle of Pridehall, additional men filled in to replenish the losses from the previous battle of course. He wields Recompense, the diamondplate longsword, hoping this time to be more effective at taking down Bringers, saving his men from their wrath. The battalion's mission is to do as much damage as possible to Brand's army, fighting fiercely at the front lines of combat.

As the result of a discussion with Eirene, at least one member of the battalion will possess bow and arrows, the arrows themselves tied with highly visible cloth that will be fired into the air should the group encounter a High Bringer. This is to alert any of the special forces that are intended to take down such targets that one has been found. Inigo will, of course, engage any he sees himself, as he is the best equipped in the battalion to take on such a threat. The goal is to either slay the High Bringer, or delay it long enough for one of the special forces to arrive and kill the creature.'

Costas will be Calypso's bodyguard for the campaign, at her side at all times as well as defending her in battle. He sleeps in the same tent as her to ward against potential assassins, and is only ever removed from her vicinity for private discussions with other nobility.

Although sending squadrons of the Malvici Phoenixes to assist the other Compact forces, Eirene brings her hand-picked finest battle medics to accompany herself to the front with General Calypso. She will ensure the triage centers are defendable and coordinate medical efforts with the Mercy's and other assigned medics.

Waldemai will be deploying with the field forces under Calypso's command to provide on-site armor evaluations, upgrades and repairs.

Harmon will accompany Eirene, supplementing her medical expertise with his knowledge of occult matters as well as alchemy in order to stretch out supplies without losing efficacy.

Mirari will be joining Eirene and her medics, providing medical supplies via her apothecary skills, where she can. And defending the medical tents and medics with her small blades should forces break through the lines and to the medic station.

For the next stage of the Bringer's march on Arx, Alis will be accompanying the combined forces led by Lady General Calypso Malvici.

She will be in charge of the Valardin Infantry and Archers. Her instructions to those under her command will be to help divide and flank pockets of the enemy column into more manageable groups; with a warning about the berserker Bringers, and that they should call out a warning when the berserkers are spotted so they can be swarmed and taken down as quickly as possible. She will be participating in the battle.

    Ansel will be leading the Telmar forces in Princess Alis' forces supporting Lady General Calypso' mission of eliminating the shav forces at the river.

    Ansel will be coordinating with, and taking orders directly from, Princess Alis as the forces deploy to engage the shav forces. He's delegated total authority of his subordinate sections to his vassal house's commanders, providing them instruction pertaining to the general goals of the mission, but leaving the exact manner of accomplishing those principles to his subordinate commanders.

    For his part, Ansel will be taking direct command of a small company comprised of a section of archers supporting a small team of hand-picked swordsmen. Their mission will be to identify any Bringers at the outset of the engagement, particularly any beserker Bringers, and eliminate the most serious threat to the Valardin column as quickly as possible. He'll be leveraging the support of the archer section, as well as the Telmar diamondplate heirloom weapon, attempting to dispatch these threats hastily.

As Alis' second-in-command, Fiachra will be coordinating his efforts directly with her, using his knowledge and experience of Greenmarch tactics in facing a larger force. (Particularly from an archer/scout standpoint.) As before, he will be using his particular talents for assessing the terrain (see his metaplot secrets) to any advantage it can afford for the troops under General Calypso's command. He will not be leaving Alis' side, and will be watching for threats to her life.

Barric will be accompanying Calypso's force upriver. During the battle he will be focusing his efforts on identifying and destroying the massive and hulking Bringer beserkers. Presumably with a team of other soldiers doing the same, he will position himself on the battlefield when one of the monstrosities is found and engage them in an attempt to minimize their devastating impact. He has fought one before and wields Elvesbane, the alaricite blade of House Grayson.

The Mirrorguard (led by Talen and Luca), Valorous Few (led by Audric and Kima) and Grayson (Barric and Reese) strike teams have been given the high profile task to break the River Column morale by gunning for the Undead Generals (like Hush!) and Abandoned Beserkers that undoubtedly guard them.
Their troops will be armed with fire and poison (supplied by Eleyna, Blacktongue, etc) for more effective fighting against the standard Bringers and Abandoned respectively while the commanders named above will be using their diamondplate and alaricite weapons in combat with the big baddies - individually, as pairs or in teams as is appropriate.
Talen will be wielding Mirror Blade, the alaricite blade of House Velenosa and as usual will be fighting dirty as fuck.

Holden will be with the Valardin Infrantry forces leading one of the smaller manageable groups under Alis's command. He will be participating in the battle.

Valkieri is leading the combined troops of Rubino, Zaffria, and Igniseri under the coordination of Lady General Calypso. Their naval forces for the journey upriver are under the sub-command of Lady Ariella Igniseri, and Lord Luis Igniseri and Captain Gian Fuller are also a part of their ranks. He will be leading a mix of archers, infantry, and some cavalry, and it is the cavalry that he will be among on his warhorse Tempest.

Kima, for this particular excursion, joins Captain-General Audric of the Valorous Few to do what she does best: slaughter enemies upon the field of battle. With her recent gift of an alaricite blade, the Absolute, she has been chosen as part of the strike force targeting Bringer generals and berserkers.

Audric and the Valorous Few (and Kima, see her action) will be taking part in Calypso's offensive action against one of the oncoming Bringer armies. Specifically, they'll be part of the strike force meant to target the Bringer Generals and Berserkers in an attempt to take out their core leadership. Since alaricite seems to make them basically die instantly, he'll be using Coinspinner, his alaricite sword for the fight.

Luca is joining the special assault squads going to the river column front alongside Talen, leading the Mirrorguard prong of three groups all hunting the biggest, baddest Bringers they can find, whether commander types, berserker types, or anything else monstrous they can cut down with Alaricite or Diamondplate. Luca will be fighting with Viper's Fury, his diamondplate sabre and Viper's Fang, his HQ steel blade, unless Lorelai ends up finding him an alaricite blade before then as she implied might be feasible, in which case he'll fight with diamondplate and alaricite. He is going to try and identify and cut as quick a path as possible to any big bads and asplode them with heart or head shots of the diamondplate (or alaricite). Luca very much will be trying to keep an eye on state of Reese and Barric's team as he wanted to accompany them to see Reese safer but was overruled by Calypso. If Reese ends up in trouble and Luca has any hope in the Abyss of cutting his way to her, it's possible he'd break orders and go and try to save her (and is something our players OOCly sort of want for a bonding moment of fighting side by side). Luca's more than a little burnt out by rage, grief, pain, and discontent with lack of challenge at Pridehall, so it's quite likely he'd take greater risks than he probably _should_ strictly if it meant finding a greater challenge in this battle, though only the sort of risks that would get himself hurt, not that'd kill off hundreds of others depending on him.

Under Valkieri's direction, Gian will be leading the Infantry of Rubino-Zaffria, from the front line. In addition to defending archers or attacking as ordered, he will have a number of guardsmen nearby for a rescue/recovery assignment, in case Duke Valkieri's stupid horse goes down.

Reese is joining the special assault squad going to the river column front alongside Barric, as a member of the three groups all hunting the biggest Bringers they can find, whether commander types, berserker types, or anything else monstrous they can cut down. This is a six person team (Talen, Luca, Audric, Kima, Barric and Reese). Divided into 3 pairs. Reese is with Barric.

Reese is fighting with Devotion, her alaricite superb short sword. Reese plans on using Dex+medium wpn as her attack skills. Her sword is 10 dam, 12 damage bonus and -2 difficulty. She will have Dazzler her rubicund excellent short with her just in case. She will wear her hq steel armor with mitigation 68. She is going to try and identify and cut as quick a path as possible to any big bringers and explode them with heart or head shots (but not mouth shots!) with alatricite. She plans to keep close to her cousin Barric. she will try to watch out for him. She plans to fight side by side with him. If Barric falls in battle, she will be attempting to retrieve Elvesbane, the Grayson house sword from his body.

Ariella will be leading the naval actions of the Rubino, Zaffria, and Igniseri from her ship the Red Bargain, up the river in support of the attack.

GOing with Eirene's healing unit, using uber medical skills, chatting with hurt soldiers for morale boosts, offering last rites to those willling to have them with a THirteenth bent.

Eleyna will be gathering any and all alchemists willing to assist in the upcoming war effort, including Blacktongue and Emeline, to provide additional supplies to the three strike teams put together by Lady General Calypso. The Mirrorguard (led by Talen/Luca), Grayson (led by Reese/Barric) and Valorous Few (led by Audric/Kima) forces will be given fire and poison to fight the Bringers and Abandoned respectively, so their troops which are not wielding alaricite and diamondplate can gain the upper hand when cutting their way towards the generals.

Continuing his role as the back channel logistical man, Maximilian has hired ships to transport and maintain logistical ties for up to 7000 extra men, as well as bringing a few of his river-capable warships along to help keep river pirates off the goods. He's getting paid back for this, right? Right? Why is everyone suddenly quiet?

Max will be investing 300 Military Resources (Darkwater) into outfitting many of the merchant ships as riverine warships, as he anticipates that the enemy will try and cut Calypsos supply line. He will take personal command of this unit and use it to keep the enemy from severing those lines. They will look like normal merchant vessels, just covertly outfitted with weaponry and marines.

Deva will be commanding the Redrain portion of the overall river assault under Calypso's direction. Her forces will consist of approximately half of overall Redrain troops (archers, infantry, etc.), several hundred Nightgold archers and calvary, and at least a chunk of Halfshav infantry as well. The goal is to separate the enemy as best as possible to make it easier to cut them down. Adjustments will be made as necessary per any instructions given in the thick of it, and Deva will be flexible with fighting both ranged with her archers, and up close melee on the front lines as/if needed.

Artorius is leading a battalion of Malvici warriors under General Calypso's command up the river.

Dagon will be joining the forward operation to flank and cut through the ranks of the Bringer army, and focus on finding and eliminating Bringer generals and berserkers; the baddest of the bad. He will be working alongside three other strike teams (Valorous Few, Mirrorguard, and Graysons) with his own hand picked Knights of Tyde. Dagon plans to attack with Reafian, the sword of House Thrax, while wearing rubicund plate, and plans to lead at the head of his unit, and work quickly to cut a path into the generals. In and out, ruthless and efficient; everyone on this mission was hand-picked, and Dagon has no illusions about saving anybody -- not today. They can handle themselves, they are all warriors, and they all are prepared to die. His mind is on breaking this army, here and now, to save those back at Arx the trouble, and he will single out the generals with a one-track determination, trusting his men and the others to cover his back.

Serafine is aiding Dagon Tyde as his second, following his orders but exercising her own judgement and experience, wielding her diamondplate blade, Pathway, to use it to its namesake and cut a path into her foes, using light, well-made, high quality leather armor, efficient and dangerous, using her speed, strength, and endurance to her advantage. With her experience in the past of killing and identifying Bringers in earlier campaigns and missions as well as her exceptional skill at killing the Shav-slaves they keep, she would do her damnedest to get the job done as efficiently as possible, while also do her best to stay safe and, if the Gods allow it, return home to her loved ones, more or less in one piece.

Leta will be joining the Valorous Few, with Audric and Kima, in the attack on the Bringers. Since she just has rubicund and steel, she'll stick to protecting Audric and Kima's backs by helping cut a path to the big Bringers and fending off any counter-attacks with the rest of the Few. Leta isn't planning on any heroics, but if some opportunity presents itself to chop some Bringer in the side, or to attempt a rescue of some of our heroic alaricite wielders, she'll probably take it. If Audric dies, she's grabbing his sword. If there's time for it, she'll also go through his pockets. He would have wanted it that way.

Estaban is joining the Archers under Calypso's comand.

Garza will be joining Audric and the other Valorous Few as part of the strike force meant to target the Bringer Generals and Berserkers in an attempt to take out their core leadership. He'll be fighting with his bow and sword, focusing on range tactics unless he needs to fight in close quarters combat.

Inquisitor Alistair and a cadre of loyal Confessors (loyal to him) will be accompanying Lady General Calypso and her command guard. From there the man will observe the battle, keeping an eye out for the presence of Bringers and any possible abyssal magic that the enemy will be using. He will point out Bringers that he identifies as well as issuing warnings of their approach and/or the workings of any abyssal magic. Further he will be keeping an eye on any Compact soldiers who attempt to use magic, though he will not stop them. If battle is joined his Confessors armed with crossbows and he armed with a blade will fight with the cry "May the Sentinel guard the Righteous!" on their lips.

Halsim is supplying the armies intercepting at the river, along with the archers at the ramparts, with poison for their arrows and other gear they might want. Anyone who wants any other alchemical supplies is welcome to approach him for supplies as well.

Karadoc will be assisting from General Calypso's command tent. A (lazy) genius, he's been pressed into action to support his leige lord family as best as he is able, and is (reluctantly) doing so. A veritable master of economics, he's working to solidify support lines, arranging resupplies, and acting in a manner most mercantile. His efforts are on food and fresh water for the soldiers, leaving the specialized supplies to those better able to provide. He'll be traveling with his favorite cousin Kima, though, will certainly be confined to non-combat rolls, stuck in/around the command tent.

Caelis will be serving under Lady General Calypso largely as transpertation. She'll be leading the Malvici ships carrying troops up the riber and back. While they are up the river she'll join the troops in battle on the field.

Zhayla will be joining the Grayson forces with her alaricite trident, looking for the biggest, meanest bad guys and the worst of the fight where she might make the biggest difference and look ~so heroic~. Even if it is super risky.

Infamous for being the man to survive the poisons of his former position, Blacktonge is the defacto unspoken, but recognized with knowing nods, poison maker for House Velenosa - apples be damned. The Harlequin of House Velenosa will open up his lab, chuck out the apples, and pour all of his work into making the poisons to help along the blades wielded by Talen and crew.

Live GM'd and resulted in the destruction of the Bringer column after a confrontation with a Formorian Bringer of Silence.