Advanced Black Steel Spellweaves

These are the most powerful spellweaves known to Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix, and among the most powerful known even to Theril. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" in a previous post. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated.

Bane: Bane allows the caster to invent and speak a simple, single-sentence prophecy directly pertaining to the victim of this spell; if the victim fails to resist, then to the extent it lies within the power of this spell to arrange it, the prophecy will come true. The prophecy must be of intrinsic and obvious harm to the victim, and may be made continuous or conditional (e.g. "You will stink of death forever," or "If ever you look upon the House of Renin in Calasta, your hair and nails will all fall out, never to regrow!" or "Whenever you do battle with a Knight of Illenia, your right arm will weaken and fail you!") as the caster wishes.

Curtain of Flame: This is the spell that Nimlo eventually used to ensure that the "Holy Grat'han Bandits" remained trapped in their cave, raising a thin sheet of completely opaque, blazing fire that holds back creatures and flying projectiles alike with its thermal currents and constant waves of searing heat, needing no fuel of its own except for the caster's attention as he continually weaves it into being, but setting anything that comes too close aflame.

Displaced Perception: One of the options Theril considered for surveillance of Thaqz's team, this spell allows the caster to see, hear, smell, and (to a limited extent) even touch and taste objects within a few dozen meters as if standing right on top of them without actually coming near.

Dragon's Roar: Apparently as a curiosity, Dargon and Quix's draconic tutor taught them a spell that allows them to briefly duplicate the full effect of a dragon's roar, a sound audible for miles around that can shatter glass and ceramics close by, and deafen, flatten, or even kill living creatures who stand too close.

Driving Hail: Somewhat more subtle than the likes of Firecast and Thunderbolt, Driving Hail fills a ground-level area of limited size but any simple shape the caster desires, forcing anyone and everything within away with gusts of icy wind and driving hailstones. It can be released in such a way that it lasts for two hours, doing slow but steady damage throughout that period to everything that tries to pass, or concentrated into a shorter time, dealing much less potential total damage to someone or something that fights its way in and insists on remaining inside, but dealing damage far more quickly to anything trying to enter or pass through the area.

Emancipate: Emancipate can free its subject from virtually any single magical or pseudomagical influence or compulsion, from a simple Bewitch spell to the lure of a siren's song, from the effects of a backfiring attempt at Mind Reading to a Bane spell. If it worked in Tolkien's world, it could even have freed Boromir (at least for a while) from the lure of the One Ring.

Fertile Ground: First developed by the elves of the Grat'han jungles, this is the spell by which (with many castings over the course of several days) Theril was able to transform a handful of thornbush seeds into the vast Hedge that protects Alluarten. Only Theril has mastered all of the uses of this one, but Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix have all learned to use it in its simplest form.

Greater Bewitchment: This is a general-purpose form of the highly specialized Bewitch spell, capable of affecting almost any sentient creature, or several non-sentient creatures at once.

Hallucination: The subject of this spell is wrapped in a powerful multisensory illusion of which no one else is aware. In addition to possibly causing the victim to appear completely insane, this illusion is convincing enough to potentially kill, blind, or otherwise cripple the victim by convincing him completely of the truth of a horrible vision. Beneficial effects are also possible, but the mind is always doing nearly all it can to help itself and the body, and so the margin of possible benefit from convincing the mind of something is much smaller than the margin of possible destruction, so it is used far more often against an enemy than to give aid to a friend. This is the spell that Theril originally learned from Karloc Denobson of the Seven, in exchange for teaching him Theril's Assurance.

Mirage: This powerful variation on Visual Illusions generates large, long-lasting illusions that remain stationary relative to either the center of the spell's effect or the willing creatures they conceal. Though the illusions can not move themselves (within their frames of reference) they can conceal moving objects, like flowing water or moving animals. The spell is broken however when touched by a sentient being.

Permafrost: The spellweave Theril developed to keep the Solo's restaurant icehouse cold has a number of other uses, though they haven't been put into use. The basic effect is to generate a volume of extremely dense, solid ice, in a shape of the caster's design, that powerfully resists melting and breaking of all kinds.

Preemptive Strike: Developed by Pasha Zavalier (who claims it's almost as valuable in the court of Shalasia as in the Grat'han jungles), this spellweave lies dormant for more than a day, or until triggered by an attack on the caster, at which point it reacts with a bright flash of light and repulsive power to knock the attack aside and knock down the would-be attacker. Unlike Force Block, it works only once, but is pretty much foolproof and infallible. Among Black Steel Wizards, only Theril has mastered this one.

Space Jump: One-way, short-range teleportation that can cause its subject to disappear and reappear, even in mid-motion, with extreme precision and without a sound. Its name derives from the fact that its subject appears to jump instantaneously from one point in space to another.

Theril's Assurance: The spellweave Theril developed to keep Black Steel's command network functioning across the breadth of the world sees more use than any other in the Black Steel repertoire. Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix all use this one to keep in touch with one another, Theril, and their far-flung friends ... and Theril still uses it to coordinate and direct all the forces of Black Steel.

Transfiguration: When wizards threaten to turn their misbehaving apprentices into toads, this is the spell they're implying they would use. This is also the spell that Theril used to create Grynne's "costume" for the celebration of last year's "Night of the Veil" ("between living and dead"). Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix have all also used a less-lasting variant of this spell to transform themselves when they found it convenient.

Zone of Fury: Another variation on bewitchment magic (like Spellbind), this one fills an area with roiling emotion, so that anyone in the area who fails to resist becomes unaccountably incensed with everything he sees, sometimes furiously attacking friends and foes alike, sometimes standing motionless and quivering with helpless rage.

Standard Battle Spellweaves

These are somewhat more advanced spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix. Most of these are designed explicitly for military use, though not all are directly applicable to the immediate exigencies of combat. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" below. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated. I did leave out one spell in this class, known only to Theril among Black Steel wizards, because it was a highly specialized spell which she learned for a very specific purpose, and has not been used or mentioned since. If it, or any use for it, ever comes up again, I'll describe it then.

Amphibious Lungs: Originally designed by human wizards to combat undersea enemies, preferably by enchanting a giant ally, this spell allows its subject to breathe oxygenated water (e.g. water in which a fish can "breathe" with its gills) as comfortably as though it were air, for up to 24 hours, without interfering with the subject's ability to breathe air as well. The change affects the subject's reflex system, physiology, and lung structure as well, allowing him to breathe water without reflexively choking, to descend safely into deeps where the pressure would normally crush a human's lungs, and to avoid the bends upon surfacing, no matter how quickly.

Darksight: Another "special forces" spell for wars against inhuman species, this one was designed to give the subject, usually a spy or assassin, the ability to see clearly in starless night or the lightless depths of a cave, without giving himself away by carrying a light source. It was designed with long-term missions in mind, and therefore, like Amphibious Lungs, lasts up to 24 hours.

Directed Deflection: Developed and expanded from the simple Deflection spell, this spell's enhanced effects are made possible by the caster's continuous and direct attention, directing the field of deflecting force himself. Any and all arrows, javelins, spears, crossbow bolts, even rocks of reasonable size -- falling, thrown, or launched from slings -- that the caster can see approaching the subject of this spell are automatically knocked aside unless enabled to get through by enchantments of their own, allowing a great warrior, a giant with a ram, or the caster himself to walk into a storm of arrows unharmed. This spell may last indefinitely, ending only but as soon as the caster's attention to it (and weaving and direction of it) lapses.

Enhance Reflexes: Intended for use upon an army unit in preparation for battle, this spell gives its subject and everyone immediately around him at the time of the spell's release the energy and reflexes of a berzerker so long as they all remain near the central subject (e.g. part of their unit). It does nothing to prevent wounds or exhaustion, but those are matters to be considered after the battle is won. By means of a simple modification to its core in the inital weaving process, the caster can instead prepare a slightly different version of this spell that has the effect of sapping the energy and dulling the reflexes of its target and everyone near him if they fail to resist its power; this version of the spell, usually called "Impede Reflexes," is most often used to weaken the enemy at a critical position, like a castle gate or the crest of a hill, or to soften a key section of the enemy battle line. Though anyone other than its immediate target can escape its effects by leaving the area of its power (even if they immediately return) an army whose men leave an important station at the wrong moment is likely to suffer even more than one that finds the men there suddenly and severely weakened.

Firecast: Finesse and subtlety have their place. The drawing room for instance. On the battlefield, you want /this/ kind of spell. Firecast doesn't act like an explosive bomb or rocket-propelled grenade -- there's no explosion or impact, and there are no fragmentation shards -- but it does fill its target area with blazing, magical fire. The more skilled the caster of the spell, the wider the area, and the hotter the flames.

Flight: How do you get a sniper into a good position over a castle on a bluff? How do you send a swordsmaster after the rider on a hippogriff who's dropping rocks on you from above? How do you place a scout or general to observe every position and direct his whole army on a battlefield three miles across? How do you get a messenger home with a captured artifact when the enemy surrounds you on all sides? Oh, you can find other ways, no doubt, but the best way is usually to fly. Based on the humble Resist Gravity spell, Flight is just a little over-ambitious for its power and spellweave design, and is therefore one of the most unstable spells in a wizard's repertoire, but it works, and if woven correctly is always good for at least an hour. A skilled wizard like Theril can make it last even longer too, and though it /does/ cut out without warning when its weave finally collapses, the final stages of the collapse can be recognized by the caster or anyone else familiar with the spell, as long as they can see its weave working with their sorcerous vision, usually enough to give several minutes of warning.

Group Invisibility: Another spell meant (like Enhance Reflexes) to be worked on a small combat unit, this is ideal for flanking maneuvers, ambushes, and sneak attacks, among other special assignments. It works just like the Invisibility spell, but affects everyone immediately around the subject as well as the subject himself. As with Enhance Reflexes, those under the spell must remain close to the subject (e.g. moving together as an army unit) in order to continue to benefit from the spell.

Protective Aura: The third spell intended for army units, this one is meant to defend one as it escorts the caster himself. Its effects are identical to a simple Protective Charm, but protects the caster's entire immediate vicinity and anyone in that area who treats him as a friend and ally.

Spellbind: When Matrix met Pasha Fokahre for her jungle party, people say he just stood and stared as if spellbound by her beauty. This is the spell to which they're referring. It is heavily based on the Bewitch spell, but so overwhelms its subjects' faculties -- it is most potent against a single target, but may affect several at once -- that they essentially freeze in place, slowing and stopping if in motion when the spell is cast and more or less relaxing while holding roughly the same position they were in when the spell caught them. The subjects can still see and hear, but can't move even their eyes while the spell continues (usually roughly an hour, depending on the caster's skill). It is possible, via a simple change in the weaving process, for the caster to prepare a different version of this spell, usually just called Release, since Spellbinding magics are common enough that Release is primarily used as a means of breaking them. Its true effect however is to ease undue stress and strain on its subject's mental faculties, thereby breaking not only Spellbindings but the temporary power of paralyzing emotion, religious fervor, or even pain, allowing its subject to function normally, at least until something triggers the natural paralyzing effect again. (Thus, a mourner, helpless with grief, might be Released by this spell and go about the business of his own life, only to break down again on seeing something that reminds him too strongly of the deceased.)

Spellbreak: Spellbreak is quick and dirty anti-magic, and its operation is quite straightforward: It sweeps through a wide area, tying tight, blocking knots into every spellweave it can find, preventing them from operating, so that they collapse and cease to function. The spellweaves of especially skilled wizards are resistant to this effect for the same reasons that they tend to be more lasting in the first place: They are typically more compact, better capable of repairing themselves, and better fortified against outside interference. Nonetheless, Spellbreak is such a crude and powerful instrument, even the spells of very powerful wizards rarely escape its effects -- and of course as a wizard becomes more skilled at spellweaving, he can make his Spellbreaks more effective too.

Spinning Stones: Before he and Dargon moved up to Illenia (by way of Night Harbor, which most people would say is going about the thing back end foremost) Quix took regular walks by the stream that runs through the Scabbard, picking up skipping stones to toss across the water. Wizard that he was, he soon got the notion of getting such stones to skip on the air. He's a practical-minded guy though, and the spell he eventually developed, a clever union of Spellstrike and Minor Telekinesis with some ideas of his own, is a quirky but effective combat spell, especially useful for "shooting around corners," as the stones can twist and swerve in flight, and don't require line of sight as long as the targets' locations are known. Upon impact, each Spinning Stone is eradicated by the spell's magic, delivering a shock of pure magical energy to its target. Although greater skill allows wizards to enchant greater numbers of stones (all must be hurled at once, regardless) the only sure way to get the maximum effect is to prepare the number of stones you want and wrap the spell around them just before releasing it. It's therefore of limited effect as a quick reaction spell, but if you've waging a secret war against Black Steel, and you spot Theril approaching, counting smooth river stones into her hand, the time has come to turn around and run.

Thunderbolt: Finesse and subtelety really /are/ terrific, and they really /do/ have their place. Sometimes the time and place for certain other tactics is just a little easier to recognize. Thunderbolt does not call down lightning from the clouds, and does not generate a "bolt from the blue" like a judgment from the gods. The wizard points at the spot where he wants the bolt to start, and forked lightning roars out from there in the same direction the wizard is pointing, generating a thunderclap that can be heard for miles around. A Thunderbolt can blast through wooden doors and walls, set trees afire, and sometimes even shatter stone, and if it strikes something it can't get through, it only multiplies its forks, arcing through the area with greater force than before. This is the spell you use on giants and drakes when the time for subtlety is gone.

Vicarious Vision: Sometimes finesse even has its place in war. Wizards are often repositories of knowledge, and leaders of men -- too valuable and vulernable to be risked in espionage missions or lightning raids, but necessary to their success or in need of such information as they bring as soon as it can be had. Long ago, a great sorcerous general therefore developed the means of going on his spies' most important missions without ever leaving his command post. By casting Vicarious Visions and spending ten minutes with one of his spies, attuning to his vision, he could see the world as though he were looking through the eyes of the spy for nearly two hours. This spell is also useful for learning a creature's motives without the dangers inherent in Mind Reading though; attuning to a creature does not require its permission or knowledge so long as it's close, and the caster can see exactly what that creature looks at, focuses upon, and does in its own view, then return to his own eyes or even move on to someone new.

Weave Read: Though now most often used /after/ a battle to discover the nature of enchantments left behind by the enemy -- or during a secret mission, to learn the nature of sorcerous defenses -- Weave Read was originally developed as a counter-intelligence measure to learn what enchantments might lie upon an ally or informant who had been in enemy territory. Weave Read enhances the wizard's sorcerous vision to reveal intimate details of spellweaves set upon the caster's location or an object in his hands. While this does not grant perfect knowledge of the spell's effects, and certain spells, especially when cast by highly skilled wizards, are capable of deceiving it, Weave Read is in general extremely reliable, especially as the caster grows skilled enough to recognize greater numbers of spells and deceptions. It is also the simplest enhancement to sorcerous vision that is actually superior to what Theril can do naturally.

Afternoon of Leva 26, continued

When he sees the cart's dust cover move and hears the guards at work, Glaxtiks reacts immediately, even as he silently curses the city of Kaiimar. He doesn't bolt -- that's not his style, when he can help it at least -- but carefully maneuvers to the side of the cart furthest from the sounds of the inspection, keeping low, between the side of the cart and the back of a setee. Two of the corners of the cover are thrown back — not quite revealing his position — and the sounds of furniture scraping along the floor of the cart, being moved or removed and examined begins. Straining his ears, pulling his knees in, Glaxtiks waits his chance, then when he's convinced he can do it safely, he slips over the side of the cart, under cover of a fold of the thrown-back cover, and swings underneath, getting a grip on a wheel axle with both hands and both feet. From there, he uses his eyes, watching the movements of booted feet, and even risks a glance around the wheel and dust cover corner past and under which he just swung; as he already saw in passing, he chose the right side of the cart: he's quite near one wall of the passage, with no one on that side for the present. There's no commotion -- nor whispering or stealthy movement --- on any side to suggest he was seen as he dropped, and he moved as quickly and decisively as always, with almost no profile at all against the side of the cart, hidden in part by the edge of the dust cover. He can hear the inspection progressing above him, long and thorough, but he waits patiently, in silence, hanging exposed just a few feet below their lines of vision, though as nearly flush with the bottom of the cart as he can be. Eventually, the inspectors give the cart a pass, and the dust cover comes back on -- Glaxtiks moves again, swiftly, silently.

Afterward, he isn't sure when he saw the guard kneeling to look under the cart -- whether he reacted to a change in the stance of a pair of boots instinctively, or decided there was a risk before one materialized -- but he was back out from underneath, clinging to the side of the cart, making sure he wasn't seen, and back in under the cover before the guard got his head down low enough to take a look underneath. The cart remained motionless for a seeming eternity ... and then began to roll forward again, its unintended passenger still in place.

He tells Thaqz about it at their first rendezvous, in the spot Glaxtiks found in the park, and points out the need for a back-up plan, not only in the future, but perhaps on the way out. He got through it, yes, and maybe even made it look routine, but if he hadn't gotten lucky with the positioning of that wall and that fold of the dust cover, and hadn't moved to just the right places, at just the right moments, there's no telling what might have happened -- or what still might, especially if Hirena is known to be dead before they try to leave the city.

Kaiimar, Leva 26

Theril flies invisibly into Kaiimar in the early afternoon, with Preemptive Strike already in effect. Rondus of course has been installed for four days in the room of a young man in the merchants' quarter whose mother wanted prayers said for his welfare by a priest of Matorath the Warlord. His personal effects include a set of crossbow quarrels -- though he owns no crossbow himself -- prepared for the ritual magic with which he intends to enchant them. Elsewhere in the city, Faxandu is hidden deep in a dark room beneath the ground, still ritually preparing herself for her service to the Dark Lady Nahl, preparing herself to don the robes of night and join perhaps the oldest, least-known priesthood in the world above the ground. Thaqz, Berlokh, Glaxtiks, and Daryan meet one last time in the outer city to make sure they all understand the plan, their points of rendesvous, their backup and emergency plans, discussing everything with each other and a beautiful disembodied voice that is comfortable and familiar to them all, known to Thaqz and Glaxtiks as long as anyone else's in the world except each other's.

They split up shortly; Theril flies, still invisibly, to meet Rondus in his room, while the others head out to find carts of goods in which to smuggle themselves -- with their weapons and equipment and the dog (drugged for the time being, in Berlokh's charge) -- into the merchants' quarter. They choose carts full of bulky objects with bored-looking guards, wait their chances, and slip aboard, then just wait in hiding as the carts carry them slowly toward the merchants' quarter wall, and on into the economic heart of the city. Everything goes smoothly until the cart of furniture and upholstery in which Glaxtiks has stowed away stops at the gate to the merchants' quarter, and stays stopped, and someone begins to remove the cover -- it quickly becomes clear, as the cart's bored guards lounge and wait, that the men at the gate have selected that cart for a thorough random inspection. Glaxtiks is too well-trained to actually curse, even under his breath, and he doesn't waste a moment in responding, but he does reflect, in the back of his mind, "I really don't like this city."

Simple Utility Spellweaves

These are slightly more advanced general-purpose spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix, mostly with primarily peaceful uses. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" below. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated.

Delay: A "nasty little meta-spell" taught to Dargon and Quix by their draconic tutor, this one has a simple effect with extremely complicated consequences; it is cast in anticipation of another wizard (friend or foe) releasing a spell, and holds that spell dormant, if one is cast, for just a few seconds, then releases it normally. Only Dargon and Quix have learned this one thus far.

Enhance Second Sight: Enhances the wizard's sorcerous vision so as to reveal all power sources (and therefore the objects or creatures that generate them, and the natures of those objects and creatures) and spellweaves nearby, whether they are in the wizard's line of view (or visible) or not. This is another spell that seems to fall short of what Theril can do naturally.

Field of Light: Perhaps the most stable and elegant spellweave ever devised, this spell efficiently converts ambient magical energy into light energy, effectively turning everything (including air molecules) within a wide globe into a tiny light source, rendering the entire area as bright as a cartoon day. A simple modification to the weaving process allows the spell to be released in such a way that everything in the area will absorb light instead of emitting it, much like the less-powerful Shadowcast spell; Field of Light (and Field of Darkness) can last indefinitely, so long as it remains in an area with any ambient magical energy.

Ice Lattice: Fills an area with gigantic ice crystals, constantly dissolving and regrowing, trapping and holding any creature caught in the affected zone, that last up to eight hours in typical weather if not destroyed. The ice is formed from sorcerous power and not actual water, and is therefore rather unstable, especially in the presence of extreme heat; it tends to explode and vaporize upon the introduction of flame.

Illusory Visions: May be woven in any number of different ways for different optical effects; the most open-ended allows the wizard to actively design the appearance of the target area into anything desired, though the spell collapses as soon as the wizard ceases to do so. It can also be woven so as to create "hands-off" illusions: It may be woven around a creature or object (or the wizard) to create one or more illusions that imitate the subject exactly while the spell lasts, or it may even woven tightly into a tiny and unmoving but essentially permanent illusion.

Invisibility: Renders its subject -- an object or creature of reasonable size, or part of a larger inanimate object -- completely invisible while the spell lasts. It provides better camouflage than mere transparency -- an invisible creature swimming underwater would not appear as a giant air bubble, for instance -- but does not affect objects or pieces dropped by the subject (e.g. an injured character might leave a trail of blood, and rubble would become visible upon falling from an invisible wall) or anything picked up after the spell takes effect, and is unstable enough to be broken by direct or indirect contact with an animate being, or by any action involving the release of significant physical or sorcerous energy.

Invisible Messenger: Calls a tiny, invisible, more or less mindless being into the world; it will stay only long enough to hear the wizard's instructions, travel to the destination described (up to a few miles away), and repeat a few words or sounds that the wizard instructed it to repeat, in the same voice and intonations used by the wizard.

Magic Bag: This spell enchants the wizard's bag so that anything placed inside it effectively shrinks in weight and volume to a small fraction of its size. This allows tricks like pulling a floor lamp out of a handbag a'la Mary Poppins, but (also a'la Mary Poppins) the more the wizard stuffs into the bag, the more difficult it will be to find anything inside.

Mind Reading: This is the spell Nimlo used back at the old pirate isle to check for possible recruits, test pirates' loyalty, and generally cause massive quantities of mayhem. Notfrank still hasn't lived down Nimlo's claim that, when he called himself Frank, he was thinking with smug pleasure that he had concealed his true identity. This active use is actually a somewhat dangerous application of the spell, not that Nimlo cared in the slightest, as some beings can turn the active version around on the caster, or even expose him to thoughts that could impair his sanity. The spell can also be used passively however, to find the source (and existence) of any active malice being directed toward the wizard in the immediate vicinity.

Personal Levitation: This specialized version of the Resist Gravity spell allows the wizard to drift up and down through the air in spite of gravity, and more or less at will, though slowly. Daryan and Osiavia say that this is a very common spell in the far eastern lands where they were born, but it's still mostly significant as a precursor to Flight.

Personal Seal: An altogether superior version of Time Seal, this spell is extremely stable, and is meant to keep the wizard's most prized personal effects safe from examination or tampering. It lasts indefinitely -- standing dormant whenever the object it enchants is open, only to seal it again as soon as it is closed again -- and allows the wizard to open or close the sealed object without affecting the seal.

Telekinetic Trigger: A modification of Minor Telekinesis and a classic example of the use of sympathetic magic, this spell can activate virtually any simple device, from turning a door's latch and swinging the door open on its hinges, to cinching and buckling a belt, to cocking and firing a siege engine or crossbow.

Vermin: Essentially a cousin of Bewitch, but specialized to attract much simpler creatures that are much easier to compel, this spell attracts huge numbers of small, biting vermin to an area of the wizard's choice nearby.

Wood Haven: Theril learned this spell from the elves in Grat'ha, and has put it to nearly perpetual use ever since. It creates a small secret room inside a tree, though in some cases much larger than the inside of the tree itself, opening a knot in the trunk as the secret room's "door." Only Theril has managed to master this spell so far (well, Theril and Quil...).

Basic Spellweaves

These are the simplest spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix, and often the ones on which more powerful, complex spellweaves are at least partly based. These reflect the changes we discussed ages ago (not the abortive ones we rejected recently) that resulted from the fall of Isiyes and the change in the way Black Steel wizards deal with magic; in some cases, of course, the changes are just the spellweaves' names. Finally, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated.

Bewitch: When people claim a friend of an accused witch is "under her spell," this is the spell they mean. Contrary to popular delusion, this spell does not make the victim the caster's slave; it just tricks the victim into trusting and liking the caster, and works best if the caster can maintain the illusion of being likable and trustworthy to him.

Cloak in Shadow: Pasha Zavalier claims to have developed this one while perpetually drunk. It creates a small zone of shifting, flickering shadow, generally around a target creature, who can see into and through the spell's shadows, though their darkness is otherwise impenetrable to human vision. Only Theril knows this one.

Confer: Allows the caster to converse with one or more nearby targets in near-silence; possibly the original basis for Theril's Assurance, but at several removes.

Contribute Power: Boosts the power of a spell being cast by another (willing) wizard (if he is sufficiently skilled to control the boosted spell) but makes the caster of Contribute Power completely vulnerable to the spell thus boosted if it is cast upon him. (The history of this one is even more complicated than the details of how it works...)

Decipher: Allows the caster to see words written in invisible ink or otherwise concealed through chemical or certain kinds of magical trickery, and to correctly interpret magical runes or too-ornate-to-read, sloppy, worn, or otherwise damaged letters, so long as enough remains for the spell to get a grip on their intended form.

Deflection: One of the three basic defensive spells, this one generates a continuous field of force around the caster that attempts to knock attacks aside -- like judo to Force Block's boxing.

Enchanted Runes: Encodes a brief message in runes that can be interpretted only by the caster and a person or group of his choosing, with whom he is intimately acquainted (but also to anyone using the likes of the Decipher spell). Various enchantments can be included in the runes, so that they glow faintly, are invisible except to sorcerous vision, or even seem to burst into flame upon being touched.

Fire Show: Allows the caster to cause flames to dance and leap, glow bright, die down to nothing, or any combination, in any order, while the spell lasts. The effects are mostly visual, used to control the light level in a local area, to impress an audience, or both. Only Quix and Dargon know this one.

Force Block: Another basic defensive spell, and probably the one on which Pasha Zavalier based Preemptive Strike, Force Block lies dormant until someone or something tries to strike its subject, then instantly generates a counter-force to try and push it away. Unlike Preemptive Strike's, the resulting force isn't very powerful, and doesn't reach very far, but it can operate several times for a single casting if not broken down.

Illusory Sounds: Generates noises of the caster's choosing, potentially including speech; the more familiar the caster is with the sounds being made, the more convincing they can be.

Minor Telekinesis: Allows the caster to lift, push, and move things around in his immediate vicinity (or the area where the spell was released) without touching them, by means of mere words, glances, and gestures. The spell isn't capable of fine manipulation, and breaks down if resisted by a living being.

Protective Charm: The third basic defensive spell generates an all-purpose defensive field that (weakly) resists not only attacks on the caster but even magical spells.

Resist Gravity: The simplest artificial force spell, mostly notable for its presumed association with the development of Flight.

Second Sight: Enhances the caster's sorcerous vision to aid in identifying power sources and spellweaves. Theril seems to have no need for this spell, as ever since the fall of Isiyes, she seems to see deep into the magical world naturally.

Shadowcast: Fills an area with impenetrable shadow, as everything in the area, including the air molecules themselves, absorbs all light that reaches it.

Sleep: Works on the minds of animals to send them into sleep. Though most sentient beings are animals, their minds are much more complex than those of nonsentient creatures, and it takes tremendous skill or a personalized effort to make this spell work upon them.

Spellstrike: Directs the energy of the spell's power source directly against its target's animating energy. It leaves no wounds, but can be debilitating or even deadly to living, undead, and magical beings alike.

Time Seal: Often used for privacy (of person or of letters during delivery), or to guard objects or records under the caster's protection while he weaves other spells or engages in other attention-intensive activities, this spell seals an object (e.g. a book, door, drawer, envelope, etc.) so as to prevent it from opening (even for the caster) until the spell expires.

Werelamp: Causes a small (part of an) object or creature, or a point in space, to glow like the wick of a small lamp, shedding light and casting shadows normally, but consuming neither the "wick" itself nor fuel of any kind, except of course for magical energy.

Telaeri's Report on Reilahren

Sitting down with Herring, Theril, Rondus, and Fraegan in the cabin of the longship, Telaeri spends the better part of the day explaining what she knows about the culture, rituals, and leaders of the Reilahren tribe, as well as its trade network representatives. She's learned a lot in the month she spent there, and tries to give Fraegan the benefit of as much knowledge as she can convey in -- and that he can retain from -- a single morning and afternoon. She's much better at communicating visually than verbally -- part of the reason her answers to Theril's Assurance are not among the best -- and conveys the characters of the people she's describing more completely by emulating their body language and facial expressions (often coupled with those typical of tribe members who approach them) than she ever could with words alone. As she explains the tribal culture, it becomes increasingly clear as well that, largely by happenstance, she was the perfect choice for first ambassador to the tribe, since Reilahren's is a deeply visual and tactile culture; Telaeri spends twenty minutes, mostly with one or both of Fraegan's hands in hers, just helping him understand the hugely significant, sometimes non-intuitive meanings of different kinds of pressure and motion in a handshake. She teaches him to recognize the tribe's many ritual dances, some religious, some ceremonial, some apparetly means of self-expression, communication, community building, and even decision making, not by description but by demonstrating them, sometimes with Fraegan himself, teaching him the simple steps of the dances in which he'll most likely be asked to participate.

Fraegan's a quick learner, and he drinks in Telaeri's knowledge with intense concentration, but something more is happening: He didn't want the Grat'han assignment originally -- he was hoping to work in a civilized country -- and accepted it in the end only because Matrix insisted he was the right man for the job, and that it was his best chance to advance in the foreign ministry and eventually be appointed to more important (and civilized) posts. He intended to do the best job he could, and was glad of the opportunity, but his enthusiasm was not for the job itself -- just for using it to help his career and his country. By noon, as he learns from Telaeri, Theril can see that his whole perspective on the assignment has changed. Matrix explained that the trade network and even the Reilahren tribe itself represented a real power in the region, and in some sense a real and civilized country, so of course he knew that already, but if Theril is reading him correctly, something in learning the details of Reilahren's culture and society, or something in the way Telaeri is teaching him, has made him feel it viscerally. Theril herself communicates much better verbally than otherwise, but she hears it in his word choice, among other things: The ambassador to Reilahren in abstract changes for him from "you" to "me," and there's even a shift in the questions he asks and the way he uses "we" that implies he's no longer just thinking, "What does Matrix expect of me here?" so much as, "How can I best use this to strengthen Black Steel in the region?"

It may be a tough assignment. Especially as she goes into details of specific meetings she saw or in which she participated, Telaeri keeps building context for her explanation about the trade network, demonstrating and explaining the things she saw so that Fraegan -- and Herring and Theril as they watch -- can follow the line of evidence for themselves, to see if they reach the same conclusions that she does before she says anything to bias them as to what those conclusions might be. And as dusk begins to gather, and Telaeri closes her eyes and breathes deep, and finally says, "I hope that's enough of the background," Theril can see at least a part of the picture already.

"They're a serpent cult," Theril offers. "Their metaphors, especially the ritual ones, suggest it, but those things you showed us in their dances..."

Telaeri nods, glancing at her. "Absolutely. Not on the surface, but it's deep. Once you see it, you can see how it goes all the way to the heart of their rituals. And you can see how it changed. A lot of those dances were different, and I can see how the old forms have been changed to serpent themes."

Herring raises a brow. "Llaesira explained a little about that sort of thing, but she said it's a very old religion in the jungles. Are you certain it's a recent change?"

Telaeri nods. "You can't see the the old ways at all from the children, and they're obvious when you watch the elderly. It must have changed within the last generation or two at the earliest."

Herring takes her word for it; if nothing else, Telaeri is Black Steel's foremost authority on the art of the dance. "Still, at least it isn't menacing. Snakes don't mean the same thing in Grat'ha as they do to us."

Remembering, Theril suggests, "Perhaps they're just returning to that old religion. Llaesira was telling us about the serpent fetishes in the trade network; even where the religion isn't actively practiced in Grat'ha, serpents are symbols of protection and good luck."

Telaeri slowly nods again. "Maybe in Llaesira's part of the jungle at least. She's out where it's really just a trade network, at least mostly, where maybe someone like her really /can/ have power -- the kind she uses, at least. This deep in though, it's a whole different world. I don't know how much Llaesira even knows about this; the network people here don't work the way she does, and the guy with the serpent teeth, the one she thinks is her equivilant, isn't anywhere near the top of their food chain. He wanted me to think he was, but he couldn't hide ... well, the excuses he made when I talked to him about things he wasn't expecting, just dances and rituals and things; the way he reacted to different situations; his body language; the way things changed when other serpent people were visiting; I don't know if I can describe it all ... but he definitely had superiors, and there were a thousand things he couldn't do or even talk about without getting a decision from them. He was ready for all kinds of questions about trade and power and military forces, but he didn't know what to do with my interest in the culture; I'm not sure he ever even understood it properly. If not for that -- say, if I was like Llaesira, always just talking to him about trading partners and things -- I might never have found out he was working for anybody but him."

Fraegan shakes his head slowly, meeting her gaze. "I don't get it. Why would they care if we know who's in charge?"

"I don't know," Telaeri answers. "It doesn't make sense to me, but it doesn't leave me inclined to really trust them. They seem to want outsiders to think of them as just a trade network, but at least in Reilahren village ... well, you noticed it, Theril. The Reilahren tribesmen are a serpent cult, but they never dress up as serpents; I'm pretty sure it would be sacrilege. And the network people aren't snake worshipers at all; they just /look/ like serpents -- /all/ of them do, at least a little; every one I saw, and every one I heard about. What's more, if you actually watch them interact, the more they look like snakes, the more real authority they have, in the network, and over Reilahren. The tribe doesn't just use serpent symbols and use snaky rituals and things; they practically worship the serpent people from the network, like demi-gods or something. Even the tribal chief is terrified of them -- not just worshipful; you'd have to see his eyes: It's /fear/, even when they aren't around, of doing something they don't want, and just of them." Telaeri spreads her hands. "There's more. I wish I had more time to give you all the details. I'm not sure if I'm explaining properly. As far as I can tell, they don't trust us, and they want to hide a lot of things about their organization and their power from us. And I have to say, because of that, I don't feel like we can trust them." She takes out the flask of nectar and sets it on the table. "Certain things, okay. Of course this will be what we asked for -- why wouldn't it be? -- and I never felt like I was in any danger myself," as her eyes go to Fraegan, "or like you would be. But they're way more interested in Kaiimar than they have any reason to be -- not by their words, but you can /see/ it -- and I don't think what they want there and what we want can work together. With Llaesira, okay, but with these guys ... even if they don't take part in our battle -- and I have a feeling we'd better not really ask them for that, or even give them the chance -- I think it's going to take some doing to convince them what they really want is just trade with the city."

Major Encounter, Leva 22

Having tracked the "Holy Grat'han Bandits" to the cave where they're hiding out, the Rat Pack (accompanied by Nimlo, Terryon, Charracks, the gargoyle, and a number of not-so-holy, non-bandit Grat'han friends) assembles the makings of a huge bonfire, together with long torches, stretched fur pelts, and countless other pieces of ritual paraphernalia, especially including some huge jungle drums. They dress in slightly modified versions of the wolf and wolfman costumes they brought back from Night Harbor to wear for last year's Feast of the Veil, and start up the fire, pounding on drums, dancing, screaming, shouting, howling, and generally carrying on in a hodgepodge amalgam of every Kerranas ritual about which they've managed to learn in the past few days. Smoke rises from the bonfire flames, the drumbeats and dancing rise to a crescendo, and from the midst of the smoke, a shadowy form emerges: A massive head and shoulders, with long, clawed, powerful arms covered in fur, its mighty torso disappearing in the grey billows below. Its head is like a ravenous wolf's, with huge rams' horns curling behind its ears and the antlers of a ten-point stag rising before them. The figure of Kerranas lifts its hands to the sky ... and begins to dance in time with the Rat Pack below. Only Nimlo is not participating now: He, of course, still swaying devoutly, has all his attention on the cords of sorcerous power he's weaving and reweaving, tugging at them like marionet strings, to maintain and direct the illusion.

The dance continues, still with no reaction from within the cave, and finally the image of Kerranas rises up, and with a grand gesture, points a single claw at the center point between the cave mouth and the low hill where the Rat Pack arranged their props. With a roar, dressed up in his wolfman costume, Jimmy charges down the hillside, leaps to the space indicated by the apparition, throws his head back, spreads his clawed hands from the elbows, and howls to the sky in challenge. Again the apparition points to the space where Jimmy now stands, but there is no response from within the cave. Frustrated, Charracks calls upon Vammakhel to fill the cave mouth with blinding light, revealing the Grat'han bandits standing within, then calls on her once more to bring terror upon one of those revealed; the Grat'han screams and cowers, apparently from the image of Kerranas, and flees into the darkness beyond the blazing light; the others mutter together and beat a hasty retreat deeper into the cave, back out of view. Rubbing his chin, Terryon works a spell, and as he moves his lips, a deep, growling voice seems to come from the sky: "Accept the challenge, or be held forfeit by the power of Kerranas! Send forth thy greatest warrior to prove the right of thy cause, unless thou wouldst abandon thy faith!"

There is no response from within the cave. The drumbeats grow lower and more menacing, and Brette says to Terryon, just conversationally, "Hard to imagine them mustering much religious fervor after that, though."

Terryon shrugs, looking every bit as disappointed as Brette and the rest of the Rat Pack. It's Charracks, voice dripping with sarcasm, who says, "How unfortunate that the plan failed," and goes on in his darkest tones -- the ones in which he shows pleasure -- "We'll have to kill them then."

As the drums continue, Jimmy stalks back to the hilltop, and joins Charracks in leading Miw and the gargoyle down the back of the hill and behind the cover of a nearby ridge (where they pick up a group of ogres already posted there by Charracks) to come to the hidden back entrance of the cave, known to Jimmy and the Rat Pack since their survey of the region a few months back. When a quick investigation reveals that the passage appears unguarded -- perhaps all the bandits went out front to see the show -- Charracks calls upon Vammakhel once more, to bring silence down upon the cavern entrance. Normally, this miracle is wrought to prevent the screams of Vammakhel's victims from reaching the wrong ears, but the purpose that Charracks intends in this case is also quite appropriate. He returns to the hill the same way he came, to find the bandits are still quiet within. He dispatches horses and wagons to bring more wood and bales of straw from town, and Nimlo begins to unravel a handful of spellweaves, and creating other weaves from their strands. There is a period of tension on the hilltop, but no faces emerge in the cave, and eventually Miw returns to report, "We close it. They still put on rocks, but Jimmy say me go back."

Charracks permits himself a grin, and directs Miw to burning logs from the fire, more logs left by for fuel, and bales of straw left by for exactly this purpose: One by one, the giant takes them up, and flings them into the mouth of the cave. Those not ignited by the flaming logs themselves soon catch fire anyway as fire arrows fly and lodge themselves in the straw. Charracks stares in as Nimlo weaves and the Rat Pack grimly drums and looks on ... and just as the fire inside the cave is beginning to really blaze and smoke, a cheer can be heard from within, and a torrent of water pours down from the ceiling, rising in hissing billows of steam, extinguishing the flames. As darkness falls within once more, with water still dripping from the ceiling into the standing pool below, Miw hesitates, a log still poised in his hand. Looking uncertainly at Brette, he asks, "Uh. Should I throw this?"

Charracks scowls. Mac tells no one in particular, "I liked our plan better," still drumming, going strong.

Still weaving his new spellforms, Nimlo cracks a smile.

Major Encounter, Leva 17

Of the Rat Pack's luck, Jarvis once said, "It's hard to say if it's good or bad, but we certainly seem to have a lot of it." On the morning on which they started their investigation of the Grat'han strangers in Alluarten, following their usual survey/exploration procedure, (with the humans on foot, while the half-lizard Grim rides on the shoulders of Miw, the Giant, "to see farther than he") and looking for homesteaders they might ask about the raiders' methods and whereabouts, they came to the crest of a rise and spotted a whole moving train of Grat'hans -- at least a hundred, leading more than twenty horses -- dressed and painted in just the way that the girls described (and that the Rat Pack confirmed itself). The Grat'hans didn't give them an opportunity to parley, but immediately charged, screaming battle cries that Brette would later translate as "Kill the despoilers! Kill the self-poisoners!" (Jaque would also translate it, but as, "Look at the shiny metal-type things on those people! Let's all get rich with the stealing of it from them!") It should have been a massacre, with the Rat Pack too hampered by their armor for effective flight, and outnumbered ten-to-one by powerful Grat'han natives, but the raiders were over-eager, and the horsemen charged without waiting for the rest of their forces. Even the horsemen outnumbered the Rat Pack by more than two to one, but they didn't have the skill to use missile weapons effectively from horseback, and the Rat Pack, recognizing them as the most immediate threat, started shooting their horses out from under them with crossbow bolts in an orderly, fighting retreat. While Miw stooped to pick up a boulder (one of several he would throw to disrupt and/or kill horses and horsemen, or to delay and confuse the advancing wave of deadly enemies on foot), Grim (with no effective long-range weapons) took the opportunity of bounding and rolling to the ground, and sprinting off to find and call in reinforcements. (This was at Brette's suggestion, though of course no words were needed to convey it) By the time the enemy closed, those still on horseback no longer outnumbered the Rat Pack at all (though most of the others were intact behind them, having leapt clear of their horses as they fell), and the combat developed into the Rat Pack's favorite variety of chaotic and violent free-for-all.

The horsemen charged in with their spears, and their targets side-stepped, dodged, leapt, ducked, and danced around them, taking a few glancing blows en route to their main objective ... of tackling the horsemen themselves. Jaque gets bragging rights for getting astride a horse and throwing the rider to earth on the first pass, while Jarvis only managed to get a grip on his horseman and pull himself up behind. The resulting struggle, with the horseman twisting around and trying to kill or dislodge Jarvis with the help of a crude knife, was amusing to watch, but with predictable results; the armor Jarvis was wearing slowed the whole thing down for both sides, but Jarvis eventually managed to send the Grat'han tumbling down. Jimmy, trying to tackle a rider who was in the process of lunging wildly at him, wound up rolling about on the ground in a tangle with the horseman, trying to avoid getting trampled underfoot. The rest of the Rat Pack had a good laugh over it (yes, in the middle of battle) ... and when Chap and Tarak suffered similar fates on the second pass, they insisted it was only to emulate their fearless leader. (It also happened to Mac, but the only thing he insisted upon was, "Heh heh. Fun fight. Roly-poly! Hahahahaha!") Meanwhile, Miw was tossing boulders to give the remainder of the Grat'hans something to think about and keep them as well as possible at bay, and in less than a minute, long before Grim got anywhere near the reinforcements he sought, even before the rest of the raiders came within range, the human Rat Pack members were all horsed (though in some cases with two riding together) and Miw was loping away with his gigantic strides, to get away and under cover while the rest of the Rat Pack drew and split the raiders' attention. In the end, between mock charges, suddenly slowing as if a horse had come up lame, and a dozen other Rat Pack tricks, they managed to lead the raiders well away from the site of the battle ... and then burst away at a gallop, leaving the Grat'hans to shout and swear.

The Rat Pack managed to round up the two remaining, riderless horses, and even captured four stragglers, formerly horsemen, who hadn't been able to catch up with the rest of the raiders. From there, they sought out Charracks to make their report and receive treatment for their many, but minor, wounds. On the way, one of the captives, in the way of gallows boasting, told them a little about the Grat'hans the Rat Pack had just bamboozled: They are attacking the people of Alluarten to prevent the civilization of the land and the domestication of its creatures, as these things would supposedly be an affront to Kerranas, the beast-loving Power these Grat'hans apparently worship. The raiders then live high on everything they steal from their victims while it lasts -- the real reason, Jaque and others insist, for their fervor. As a result, the Rat Pack has taken to calling them the Holy Grat'han Bandits, with appropriate emphasis and hand-waving, which was appreciated by the captives only in comparison to what was about to be done with them.

Charracks normally doesn't like to heal anyone's wounds, especially minor ones; as far as he's concerned, the Rat Pack would be better off suffering. He made an exception this time though, and called down the agonizing, wound-suturing, restorative miracles they requested, because they brought him four Grat'han bandits to ... interrogate. Charracks grinned as he healed each member of the Rat Pack, just thinking of how well -- through him -- they had served Maiden Pain, and of how he would make his four victims renounce the Power they served, and at once admit and demonstrate that the most important and most powerful force in their lives was the Power of pain to whom /he/ was sworn.

Political Map of the Broken Sea Region

CLICK PICTURE FOR FULL-SIZE VERSION:

This map doesen't include physical terrain features apart from land/sea and very major rivers, though the rough locations of a few mountain ranges are listed. UPDATE 4/29/08: There is now a physical map available as well, with more complete terrain features, though this one provides a more complete picture of the local spheres of influence.
Each country uses a(n at least slightly) different color, but white always represents areas that are uninhabitable, unclaimed, unexplored, unknown to Black Steel, or some combination; harder colors fading toward white represent either disputed claims (e.g. between Rhedas and Ephinos; Rhedas has the upper hand in the disputed area, which is why it's shading to their color from white) uncertainty about the extent of certain nations (e.g. the depth of the jungles controlled by the trade network, and the extent to which "control" is the operative term, still isn't very clear, which is why the green fades toward white as you grow further from Llaesira's region) or essentially wild lands ruled mostly "in name only" (e.g. the Shalasa desert has always been claimed by Shalasia, and no one disputes the claim, but ... it's still just a huge, empty desert).
Shalasia (capital: Shalaton) was the first nation to establish diplomatic relations with The Scabbard, and Matrix has been ambassador there for years; she is also betrothed to one of this rich desert country's powerful Pashas, Pasha Fokahre, who controls the iron mines near the border with...
Espava (capital: Leziv) is where Matrix is currently stationed as temporary ambassador; she recently established diplomatic relations there after negotiating an end to the border war then brewing between Shalasia and Espava, but when Byriche (the new ambassador to Espava) arrives, she expects to return to Shalaton.
Arasta extends further north than the map shows; Dwiereth is currently ambassador there (recently installed, and mostly as a sinecure, and to help imply a greater presence and influence around the Broken Sea than Black Sail actually has).
Korv (Capital: Korv Harbor) is the strange and complex realm of dwarves and men out beyond the Edge (Thornton) and the jungles, where Thorm "Glib" Casati has long been ambassador.
Havandia (Capital: Virhas) is the large country southeast of the Scabbard that relies heavily on Grat'han slaves and is Black Sail's biggest competitor for export of jungle resources. Thragor is "playing ambassador" there right now, but there hasn't been a full-time embassy since Trevor was recalled to the Scabbard to work on construction projects.

Major National Projects

1. Kaiimar, Kaiimar, Kaiimar. This is the city on the coast of the Grat'han jungles, at essentially the closest point on the mainland to Scabbard Island, with a population of more than ten thousand, which if added to Black Steel would represent an enormous percentage increase in the population. Taken as a whole, Kaiimar is a wealthy city with excellent natural resources, but the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small aristocracy of merchant lords, who are mostly Havandian immigrants or of Havandian descent, but do not appear to have the full support of the Havandian government -- actions against Kaiimar, especially if executed properly, wouldn't constitute (and shouldn't trigger) an act of war, the more so because of certain recent events in Havandia itself. The goal here is simple to state, though by no means simple to execute: Free the city and incorporate it into Black Steel. The strategy is to overwhelm the defenses with a series of coordinated attacks of many different types on multiple fronts, culminating in rebellion from within, supported by the full Trident.

2. Politics and the national profile. Matrix and her corps of ambassadors are trying to position themselves as an important political force in the Broken Sea region in spite of their country's small territory. Their most important contacts are with Shalasia, Espava, Korv, and the Grat'han jungle trade network.

Major Strategies and Personal Projects

1a. The most important single prong of the attack on Kaiimar will be revolution from within. Fargelle and his "Kaiimar Team" has discovered and made contacts with an existing resistance force, and most of their recent efforts have gone into supporting and supplying it.

1b. Thragor, Xertz, Quil, and Fitz are in Kaiimar already, helping with training and preparations; they will be responsible, with Daryan and Herring, for keeping open the critical gate between the Merchant's Quarter and Outer City through which the resistance-led population will pour.

1c. Thaqz and Berlokh are in Kaiimar as well, preparing to disrupt communications and lines of reinforcement within the Merchants' Quarter and ensure that no significant Kaiimaran force can reach the critical gate before the revolting population storms through.

1d. Goldenrod is leading the giants and horned men, as well as the Trident and other forces, to the vicinity of Kaiimar, where they will deploy in preparation for the battle.

1e. Telaeri (Minister of Public Works) is in the Grat'han coastal village of Erglensefi to coordinate with an alliance of native tribes preparing to overrun the fields around Kaiimar and capture any merchant-lords who flee the city by land.

1f. Lynethizon (Minister of the Navy, head of Vengeance, and formerly captain of Black Steel's most formidable warship, the Avenger, until he turned command of the ship over to Alecto, long his first mate) has met with old acquaintances among the leaders of a large pirate fleet, and made special arrangements with them to assist in the naval invasion of the city.

1g. Daryan and his girlfriend, the mermaid Greyilah, are making arrangements with a nearby colony of merfolk to sabotage Kaiimar's navy or hamper their ships in the fight.

1h. Thorm "Glib" Casati, ambassador to Korv, has made provisions for another little surprise for the Kaiimaran military as well.

2a. Zeigan, acting ambassador to Shalasia in the absence of Matrix and Treylanisin, is working to lay the groundwork for a Black Steel commercial venture to sell iced fruit from the Grat'han trade network in Shalasia, to be carried over by a specially-designed "freezer ship," its hold lined with the Permafrost generated by Theril's spell. He is also trying to organize an international conference on education at The Scabbard on Theril's behalf.

2b. Fraegan is continuing Telaeri's (and Herring and Theril and Daryan's) work with the Grat'han trade network, acting as "ambassador" at the Reilahren village..

2c. Byriche, one of Faxanna's understudies from Gorlog's village, is now installed as ambassador to Espava, continuing to push Matrix's plan for an annual summit between Espavan and Shalasian officials at The Scabbard.

3. A temple to Maiden Pain. Charracks is ready to construct a temple to his goddess in Thornton (the port town of the Edge). He has selected an architect, has a plan for a small temple to be built up as the town grows, and is looking for inspiration, precedents, advice, and/or additional funds from existing temples even as he begins construction. In exchange for a favor he did for them, Quazar and Broxte have -- with some help from Brielle, formerly of the Rat Pack -- have done a little bit of traveling around the Broken Sea in search of temples to Vammakhel (Maiden Pain's true and rarely-spoken name), whose places of worship (and whose worshipers' existence) are often carefully concealed. Their search is on hold for now, thanks to the upcoming battle, but they've uncovered some leads to worshipers in Shalaton that might be promising if and when the search is resumed.

4. A deadly and powerful transmuter. Dargon and Quix have returned to Illenia, where they were tasked at one time by their dragon tutor with finding out the name of Arissa Delana's lover. They did find out who it was: A powerful and murderous transmuter named Thezrin Khon who was killing and taking the form of one victim after another to get close to her incognito. Apparently only the two of them were aware of the deception. Since discovering this and reporting it to their tutor, Dargon and Quix traveled all the way to Athalenia in the far west, in part to do further research, and in part to get as far away as possible from Thezrin Khon. Since then however, their tutor has recalled them to Illenia, for reasons he has yet to explain.

5. Independent from but in close communication with the Kaiimar Team and city resistance, Faxanna is feeding the people of Kaiimar's Outer City, giving them comfort, introducing those who seek it to the way of Nahl. At the same time, of course, she is quietly recruiting for the resistance.

6. Osiavia is helping out wherever she can around the Scabbard, unable to travel since she's presently in the late stages of pregancy -- the baby is expected in perhaps less than a month!

Immediate Tactics, Emergencies, and Activities as of Zerian 9

At this point, it's all about Kaiimar.

Inside the city:
- Faxanna, who will probably help lead the resistance from the Outer City.
- Thaqz, Berlokh, Glaxtiks, Nightcrawler, Slimmeran, Tisiphonus, Michlonne, and Doug, who will need to secret themselves within the Merchants' Quarter soon, in preparation for their missions: Cutting lines of communication and supply lines, cutting off reinforcements, and performing other acts of sabotage, spying, and assassination.
- Fargelle, Kyndral, Bexy, and Grilaud, who will help to lead (and clear the way for) the resistance in the Outer City.
- Daryan, Quil, Thragor, Xertz, and Fitz, who will ensure that the key gate between the Outer City and Merchants' Quarter remains open long enough for the resistance and rioting population to move in.
- Verian and the rest of the Kaiimar resistance, who will lead the charge through the gate.

At the staging area, due to join the forces in the city:
- The Trident, all three arms of which (Goldenrod's Group, Bob's Group, and Crovahd's Group) will be smuggled into the city ASAP, to ambush patrols and help fan the flames of rebellion in the Outer City.

En route to the staging area by sea, due to join the forces in the city:
- Herring and Notfrank, who will join Quil, Thragor, Xertz, and Daryan at the critical gate itself.
- Counts Solo, Quazar, and Broxte, along with long-time veterans Brielle and Dwiereth, all of whom will assist the Trident.
- Defense Minister Scaelorrel, who will assist with tactical planning, with assistance from Chief Engineer Trevor Franswath.

At the staging area, due to reposition for a direct attack on the outer walls of the Merchants' Quarter:
- The Rat Pack, of course including Jimmy and Miw (who much prefers his "little friends" to the company of other giants) who will provide their special brand of leadership and direction to the battle group.
- More than 40 other giants -- more than 45 if you count the pair of two-headed giants as two apiece -- who will provide most of the visual threat, plus of course artillery and sheer physical power. Roughly half of these are "merely" ogres, but many of the rest are large enough to be classified as "Mountain Giants," naturally including the three Cyclopes.
- Bane's Gristle, Charracks' living gargoyle lieutenant, to help keep the ogres in line.
- Nimlo and Terryon, who will provide magical support.
- Seven Horned Men, who provide additional muscle and help fill out the ranks.
- 30 elven archers from the Tornbring Vale Merchant Marine.
- Hegrakz, a wolfman heavy weapons specialist.

Somewhere at sea, making preparations for a naval assault:
- The Avenger, Black Steel's flagship, currently under the direct command of Lynethizon, Minister of the Navy, with Captain Alecto serving beneath him.
- The Nerreide, Lynethizon's small personal ship, available to carry messages or for emergencies.
- A large (not Black Steel) pirate fleet whose leaders and men have agreed to join the attack on Kaiimar and afterward depart beyond Black Steel's zone of influence.
- Theril, who will join the Avenger and proceed from there wherever she is needed most, providing the best magical support that Black Steel has to offer during the battle.

At the staging area and around the plains, preparing to attack the fields around the city:
- Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of trained warriors native to the Grat'han plains. They are also supported (and being trained) by a group of Lacrethah (Black Feather) warriors.
- Telaeri, helping to guide and support the native population.
- Treylanisin (currently en route, by sea) -- a Grat'han jungle native and ex-slave (and Foreign Minister Matrix's protege) -- who will assist the local natives and Tealeri.