Editing WS:Chapter Two (section)

=====A Meeting with an Old Ally=====

The next day we continued on, seeking the bulk of the army.  In the midst of war-ravaged and abandoned lands we came across a caravan, a portable dwelling promising glimpses into the future, palms read and fortunately not unearthly delights.

In there, rather as expected and feared waited the Seer.  We paused a moment to consider our options, but eventually decided that burning the caravan with him inside probably would not succeed anyway.

For some reason, we then decided to speak to the Seer separately, first Baron Alden, then Cadmus and Riso and finally myself.  We all asked different questions, were given answers and soon developed a little circle outside the caravan discussing upcoming plans, both to deal with Constantia, the Margravine of Ostmark, aka the evil dark elven sorceress who never truly existed and cast the Margrave, our Thodric (!) from his rightful place and the strange alien beasts inhabiting, and consuming Alden’s Barony of Elbe-Elster.

The secrets fell thick and fast.

No more is Thodric an unimportant and unknown sellsword.  Instead he is the rightful Margrave of Ostmark, and his mother is working with the underground to return him to the throne.  Baron Alden may be reconsidering certain flippant remarks about pink tutus.

Riso’s parents died in a deliberately set fire and he, mere minutes after assuring me that elves have no soul, turns out to be one.  Biologically at least.  His name may, or may not be, [[WS:Footnotes#18_18|Thanul]].  I barely heard it.  Certainly don't know how to spell it.

Constantia isn’t, and has a good reason to kill birds that might approach her.

My mother is currently okay, but a Kartaran expeditionary force is approaching in the interests of discovering my whereabouts.

The Baron whose demesne we avoided because he had made some agreement to kill Cadmus approaches with an army, determined to assist Constantia, an act only he knows will occur.

Constantia has been feeding the army of 50,000 men to the aliens rather than fighting them.  She and her dark elf cohorts have reduced that army to no more than 15,000 men.

Cadmus was responsible for the assassination attempt upon Constantia that I spent hours trying to unravel, that got Thodric identified by the enemies who thought him dead and lead to the deaths of many of our guards.

I think that is worth repeating, dear friends.

Cadmus was responsible for the assassination attempt upon Constantia that I spent hours trying to unravel, that got Thodric identified by the enemies who thought him dead and lead to the deaths of many of our guards.

After winging the darts at the shielded Margravine, he transformed into a bird and flew away.  He clerics, mages whatever saw this.  Methinks her destruction of birds was not so insane, if a little exaggerated.

Cadmus was never mugged and did not lose my crystal to thugs.

Again, I suspect this is worth repeating.

Cadmus was never mugged and did not lose my crystal to thugs.

No.  He deliberately handed it over.  Yes.  My crystal.  My mind, my soul etc, etc.  And he, in the guise of friendship, pretending to look after it for safety, to keep it protected, gave it away.  !#$)$% *!@#~%)(  !@#$)(*!#~@$ !)($*!@#$ *!@#$ !@#)$(*!%(*!@#$!#$~ !^*)(!*$%) *$~* @#~+#$ %* ~_($*!@#.

Then Loki, mining my memories!, gave it to the Baron who now approaches with an army.  And created a fake in which resided the alien queen and was placed within Alden’s safest of places.  Until it got out…

Cadmus betrayed me.  He then burned down a part of Alden’s main port town.  And why?  First, Cadmus hires some guys to make his story of alcoholism and mugging convincing.  They then leave town and Cadmus _creates a fake descriptions_ of his mugger, wasting the time of myself, my companions and the local authorities.  Pledging to find it, he then waits until the Hand of Loki decides it is time to return the _fake_ crystal.  Choosing a red-headed stranger at random he kills him, to create an scapegoat or something and then burns the place down around the corpse to conceal any details.

And now that they’ve started to come up with some plans to deal with Constantia et al, this Cadmus/Varin _human_ has been trusted to be the only one to accompany Riso on a quick trip far to the north to try and collect some whist, or magebane, an herb that may help us destroy the sorceress.  Or Alden.  Who really should watch his back…  And meals for awhile.