Most of them are still quite a ways off. I guess I’ll just have to pretend I don’t see them for now.
Andrew knew her range of course, so she could text him in safety but she wanted to give that some thought when she wasn’t distracted. He could wait.
“Silira,” she called. “You’re probably the most objective source. Tell me the story of how the Demon King was killed.”
Not that I really believe that, but it will be worth comparing notes with Sam and Ravi’s account.
Controlling Sid’s flight was fairly straightforward. He responded perfectly to verbal commands of course, and he could tap him on the shoulder for direction changes if she was busy with something else. A little pressure from one leg on his side worked as well, so she had plenty of options on that front
The White Mage was keeping up with her easily enough, but seemed to be giving her some space to enjoy herself while staying generally within earshot.
She’d already spent a few minutes playing with the map and comparing it to the terrain around her, and it seemed like the strange-looking mountains in the near distance really were where they came from - they were one branch of the sets of peaks that grew out from the southern end of the great spine that split the land in two. Further north there was the glimmering white of what were probably snowfields and glaciers as the peaks marched higher.
She took a moment to send Silira a message for context.
Ashley[4]: I’ve only heard pieces of the official story but I really should get myself straight on this stuff so I don’t end up sounding like an idiot in front of the NPCs.
Silira’s glorious fiery mount soared in close alongside Sid. The Wyvern’s flight path didn’t waver, but Ashely felt like his body tensed up as the creature neared him.
“Ultimately it started with the Ashnam temple, which is where the Battlewaste is now,” Silira said, not needing to speak too loudly now that they were close by. “It was just an old ruin with an uninteresting set of tunnels in the middle of the Plains of Marra. People had known about it for many years but nobody had ever found anything much there.”
“But somebody found something?”
“A low-level party, all quite young. They were working to level up, and the south used to be a good area for that. Very few high-level creatures and not a lot of chance of running into competition in the dungeons below The Spine.”
“Competition being my people?”
“Yes. The levels below the mountains are vast and deep, and there’s lots of treasure, and many artefacts can still be found down there. It’s generally understood to be the remnants of thousands of years of conflict between the human lands and those of the darkness. The Spine has always been a natural barrier after all. But all of that is only hinted at in the oldest fragments of ancient books.”
“Point being it’s not a suitable training ground for newbies I guess.”
“Not on their own. At any rate, this group - I believe there were around seven of them when they started out - eventually returned to the Capitol. Three of them did at least. Their Ranger had found a disguised entrance to a whole new level. Instead of reporting their find, they decided to move forward on their own.”
“With visions of riches and glory?”
“Most likely. The story is that the next level was very well preserved - all gleaming marble and magical illumination still functioning. Nobody had ever suspected a place like that down there. Even to their untrained eyes it was obvious this was something special. Which should have been yet another warning to them, but such is youth.”
Ashley could see Silira’s rueful smirk.
“Long story short, they kept going down level after level while nothing attacked them. By that point it was pure foolishness. But they eventually found an intact temple, with something golden and shiny protected by a magic barrier they couldn’t get through at all. Apparently the place fairly seethed with power, and there were shelves of scrolls and books laying around unprotected. So instead of the big reward they decided to grab everything else in sight.”
“Bad idea?”
“They’d barely even started when the walls opened up and they were swarmed with mobs far above them. Their best caster was only level twelve, and his protection was gone before they’d even made it back up one level. He was the first to die.”
She shook her head.
“The rest is the standard story of fighting a hopeless fight. By the time the last three managed to escape back to the surface they only had a handful of ancient scrolls to show for their sacrifice. But when they made it back to the Capitol one of them at least had the presence of mind to take their finds to the Company instead of pawning them off for a few gold coins.”
The mountains had grown much closer now, and Ashley veered Sid off to one side, heading for the highest of the nearby peaks. Silira followed after her without commenting on the course change.
“So what did the Company discover? I’m guessing it was something significant enough to provoke a war.”
Silira nodded.
“The texts made it pretty clear that the artefact protected down there was special. As you know,” she gave Ashley a significant look, “human powers are capped at level sixty. Even the Demon King himself couldn’t go beyond that.”
“Ah, I see. This was something that would break the level cap.”
“You can imagine how everyone reacted.”
Everyone looking for the way out would be thinking the same thing. The exit is somewhere past the level cap.
“Of course the great houses found out right away, since their representatives were there. They demanded of King Harald that an expedition set out immediately. It would completely shift the balance of power with the darklands. They would never be able to threaten the human lands again.”
“And vice-versa, of course.”
Silira smirked.
“Yes, somehow the Demon King learned of this. It was a tragedy. This despite the most stringent secrecy being imposed on everyone who knew.”
All it takes is one text. I don’t need her to tell me how that happened.
Ashley[3]: Why did he have to go to war? Wouldn’t he have gotten it anyway eventually?
They soared on in silence for a bit.
Silira of New Highwater[4]: Archie was good at a lot of things, but keeping his mouth shut was never one of them. He let it slip to his minions, and after that things just took on their own momentum. Whoever got it first would have a massive advantage over everyone else of course.
Archie. Familiar diminutive. So you knew him personally. Or want me to think you did.
That was definitely on the texting agenda eventually.
By this point they were circling the jagged peak of a mountaintop. The Battlwaste was visible again, off to one side.
“Are you looking for something?” Silira said.
Ashley shrugged.
“Rumors of dragons. Up in the mountains apparently.”
“Yikes. We’d have to split up if we ran into one of those. But I doubt they would be lingering this close.”
Silira pointed at the snowy white tops of the mountains in the distance.
“I’d wager more over that way,” she said. “If I recall there are some big caverns somewhere in that direction. Seems like the kind of thing they would gravitate to.”
“Sid, what do you think?” Ashley said. “They’re your kin, right?”
His huge black head wobbled side to side.
“I do not know Mistress,” he said. “But there is no smell of them here.”
She looked over at the far-off mountain peaks.
“I guess it will have to wait. For today at least. But we’re going up there on a hunt for them eventually. How do you feel about that?”
“It would be a great honor to meet them. They are the finest of us.”
“Then it’s a deal,” she said. “Maybe we can get Sam to come along.”
“He’d probably be a more appropriate companion for that,” Silira said. “I doubt they would be pleased to see me.”
“Really? Do you have a history with them?”
Silira shrugged.
“We’ve… chased them off before. Not so easy to do, but we were protecting the people. Dragons aren’t known for their forgiving nature.”
Ashley felt another shudder from Sid. She was definitely sure it was a snort this time.
Checking her map, she took them around in another direction and sped up again. This time they were following the track of the map that she’d seen in low-resolution at the keep.
Might as well get a good detailed view since we’ll be going this way soon enough.
“So war,” Ashely said. “Is that all there is to it? Everyone made a run for the Temple of Ashnam and fought for the artefact?”
“In a nutshell, but it was an escalation over a few weeks. Harald had control of the temple, but nobody could find a way back into the lower levels. So they were stuck there. Eventually the Demon King’s first army showed up but it was a standoff. Both sides sent for reinforcements, and on the human side that included the Highfield states, once they realized that the Demon King was throwing everything he had at them. Scouts saw an enormous army heading south on the plains to the east of The Spine. Dragons included.”
“Highfield states being? Small human states?”
“Republics mostly, but yes. Breakaways from the Kingdom, and not under direct control by the noble houses. At all.”
Silira gave her another significant look.
Does that mean player-controlled states?
“So when did…”
Message alert!
Well I guess that works.
Ashley stopped talking to check her display.
Andrew of Highwater Fold[4]: You’ve been moving pretty fast, so I assume you got your own mount? Good job if so. Really opens things up. I was planning to show up wherever you were located. Can we come meet you? Be aware I have a noble NPC with me. Really didn’t have a choice on that, sorry.
She really wanted to carefully plan out some questions for him, but it would have to wait. Silira could probably already see that she was messaging someone. Hopefully she just assumed it was Ravi or Sam, but it would be best to keep her conversation with the Paladin as fresh as possible when he got here just so she wouldn’t start to suspect things.
Assuming she doesn't already have my range. Or better. Seems likely.
But there was no end to the paranoia down that path. Best to just move ahead sensibly.
Ashley[4]: Please do come join us. I’m with Silira right now. Is it a good idea to let the NPC see where my base of operations is though?
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She made a mouth-yapping movement with her hand pointed at her head to Silira, who smiled and nodded.
Andrew of Highwater Fold[3]: They already have some idea of where you are. The council has eyes everywhere and obviously your movements are of interest. I wouldn’t worry too much for now. Lord Bargus is pretty reasonable even if he’s just here to get a read on you. So my advice is be nice. I’ll be there in a bit, let’s not waste any more messages in case we need them.
She looked over at Silira.
“By the way, you said you could see I’d grown in power. Straight talk, how scary would I be now to ordinary humans?”
How have I not found a mirror yet?
Peering into streams had given her some notion of her looks now; gaunt, with sunken eyes and eyeballs that appeared to be fully dark. But she needed to make finding a real mirror a priority.
“It would be best if you could… try not to be threatening when you run into them. Your aura is definitely stronger now. It’s as if something cold is draining all the light out of the room. Probably if you think about the Spectres, then it’s not unlike that.”
She waved her hands suddenly.
“Not that I mean you’re as horrible as them! It’s just your presence that’s kind of threatening.”
Ashley laughed.
“I won’t be winning any popularity contests with the locals, got it.”
“Ordinary people will be truly afraid of you. You’ll be a vision from their nightmares. Honestly I’m not sure what you can do about it, but maybe being unusually polite and civil would help at least.”
“I’m not sure that’s my forte, but I can try.”
Everyone seemed to agree that she needed to act like the nicest Dread Witch ever for now. Listening to them might be the smart move.
If they believe we are a doormat then they will tread upon us.
There it was again. The not-quite-Ashley thought train.
Understood, she thought back at it. But we’re still weak, like it or not. We can’t go provoking fights that we won’t win.
What they believe of us is as much part of our power as any kind of magic.
Well that was a turn. She’d never had it respond directly to her before.
Are you the mind of the old Night Queen?
But it had gone silent again.
She took another look at the icefields far to the north. Dragons would be amazing, probably. They could definitely add some much-needed emphasis to anything she needed to negotiate about. But it was too late for that today. The Paladin and his cargo would be arriving soon enough. She could see that much from her map.
“Let’s head back,” she said. “I didn’t even eat anything yet.”
She finally caught sight of the Battlewaste again. From this angle it was a long scar stretching down into the distance. She pointed at it.
“So how did that happen?”
“A combination of things," Silira shouted over the growing wind from their speed, "but the Demon King tried to wipe out a significant part of the Imperial army plus the Highfield forces in one go. I think it’s fair to say they caused the worst of the destruction.”
Silira pointed at the nearby hills that ranged along one side of the scar.
“Harald had a lot of his best casters holding the high ground, and they could maintain their shield spells across the armies that way. They’re mainly line of sight.”
They swooped down along the peaks, and across the smashed remains of what might have been towers once.
“The dragons took them by sheer force of numbers. Their own casualties were terrible, but once the protective barriers were down the Demon King’s army flowed across the field and crashed into Harald’s. They probably had a five to one advantage. The rest is a lot of back and forth, but in essence they forced Harald to use the artefacts he had, and he had a lot. On his own he killed thousands with blasts of magic that nothing could stop. The Darklands casters were even suppressed somehow. He looked likely to win.”
“But he ended up one-on-one with the Demon King, right?”
“That was at the end. But once it was obvious they were losing, the Demon King started using his own most powerful artefacts and spells. That’s where the rest of the Battlewaste comes from. There were apparently huge blasts of flame and destruction that stripped the land down to bedrock and incinerated everything for dozens of miles downrange.”
She pointed at the ruined mountains far off as they swerved towards home.
“Nobody really knows but I’ve heard that three quarters of Harald’s army was killed outright. So he cut loose and started doing the same in return. Between the two of them the Ashnam temple was reduced to slag and molten rock.”
“Really? So nobody got the level cap breaker?”
When they were nearly home again, so Ashley circled them around the keep.
“They never found a way back in, and it’s all buried under solid rock now.”
She held up one finger in a “wait” gesture. Ashley waited.
Silira of New Highwater[3]: That’s why Sam and lots of others haven’t gone home yet. Everyone searching for another way in. The Battlewaste is the de facto no-man’s land. It’s mostly the Kingdom’s players north of that. Everyone has the same goal, but it’s been a long time now and the general opinion is that it’s not going to be that easy. Not to mention a lot of muttering about how stupid the two of them were to let things get to that point.
Ashley nodded.
“But they ended up in single combat somehow?”
“They’d lost order on both sides. They should have just withdrawn, but for some reason they decided to fight each other. I really have no idea what they were thinking.”
“Ravi blames Sam for the darkside forces breaking up.”
“Ravi’s an optimist. Things were collapsing on the kingdom’s side as well. When Harald and the Demon King set into one another, they were the only real action left.”
“Then some kind of explosion.”
“Everyone says it was Harald, but I don’t see him doing that deliberately. The whole thing was a shambles at that point. It’s anyone’s guess what really happened.”
“And then the arbrachit announced my imminent return?”
“That’s the story. I wasn’t there, but apparently everyone heard it.”
Ashley guided them down towards the keep again. Rebus hadn’t budged an inch from his spot in the sunlight, but he jumped up and ran to the entrance when Sid thumped down onto the stone. Silira leapt off of her mount while it was still a ways off the ground, and it soared instantly up into the sky again.
She could see by the map that the Paladin was closing in on them, and two of her other new visitors weren’t far behind. It was probably safe to start talking about new arrivals.
“I have sensed that Andrew of New Highwater will arrive soon,” she said. “I believe he’s bringing a noble with him. Someone called Bargus.”
“That's good news. He’s more or less a decent man, but I’m surprised he came on his own. Then again he’s known for fair dealing, so he might have been the only one either faction trusted to evaluate you objectively.”
She felt like she needed input from Ravi or Sam as well before deciding how to approach this - despite working to buddy up to Silira she wasn’t planning to just trust whatever she said. So she did her best to disentangle herself from their time together in order to find the others. Silira seemed to sense that she was being dismissed and went to check on the wounded.
Message alert!
Message alert!
She was expecting more from Andrew, but instead she found that some of the new players wanted to get in touch.
Suddenly I’m popular I guess.
She accepted both of the contact requests, and there were instantly messages waiting.
Peter of New Highwater[4]: Hi! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Hope it’s okay if I stop by. I might have a few things you might be interested in as well.
Sumitra of The Grange[4]: Everyone has been saying you’re actually a new player. Is this true? I only started out recently and it would be nice to commiserate with some who understands how fucking confusing this is.
Peter sounds like a salesman. Second one is probably too fresh to be much use, but then again it would be nice to have an actual ally or at least someone to complain with.
Ashley[4]: Hi Peter, please do stop by. It’s a bit of a twisty path if you’re traveling by ground. I can send some gobs out to meet you and guide you in if you want. I’ll have them start a fire or something for a signal to find them.
Ashley[4]: Hi Sumitra. Sounds good, please do come see me! It’s kind of a twisty path getting in here. I can send some goblins out to guide you in. I’ll have them start a fire or something for a signal.
She could see on the map that Peter wasn’t too far north of Sumitra, so if she was really lost she could always direct him to go find her first. It would be good to get a read on how cooperative he was too.
Heading into the great hall, she found Sam in conference with Rogmor. Next to them floated two things that looked a lot like Spectres, but they were human-sized and less instantly terrifying. Most importantly they had pale white and vaguely human features instead of being rotting, corrupt, and hard to look at. Shades, presumably. They hadn’t been anywhere near her last night.
Ashley approached Sam and Rogmor, who were deep in conversation with the two Shades floating nearby. The sound of their speech was distant and ghostly, but she found herself understanding them much more clearly than she had with the Spectres. They showed up as levels 27 and 33.
So definitely not Big Bads, but nothing to sneeze at either.
Sam looked up as she approached nodded towards the Shades. "If it pleases our mistress, I'd thought to use these two as scouts. We'd be sending them to the far side of the Battlewaste to gather information on any plans or movements on the part of the Kingdom that they can uncover. Scan the road ahead, that sort of thing."
Ashley hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sam, my sense for presences is… keener since what happened last night."
He raised his eyebrows and looked at her expectantly.
"I sense that some new folks are heading our way."
Sam nodded. He didn't seem surprised.
What's your range, I wonder? But do you have a map?
"We should be cautious," he said. "No telling what they might be after."
She smirked.
"Why so paranoid? Maybe they're just here to offer obedience to the Night Queen."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Rogmor nodded in agreement. "We should put guards out near the the way in through the boulders. We make them stay there, decide if they can come closer."
Ashley considered this for a moment before nodding. "Sounds sensible. That way anyone who shows up unannounced can get a more personalized welcome."
Rogmor went off to arrange things and she just barely remembered to tell him to set up a big bonfire as a signal to orient the noob in particular, then sent another message about it to both of them, ignoring their incoming texts. That could wait.
After that they watched the two Shades drift away into the distance as well. The Spectre itself hung over the fortress like a flag, its robes waving gently against the wind.
"I kind of like that," she said, pointing. "Sends the right signal. Looks fucking terrifying."
The two of them went back to the map room to find Ravi, Remrag, and the others still bent over the maps. None of them even looked up as she walked in, so she clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention.
You will recognize when I walk into the room.
Ashley folded her arms and cast a glance at the ragtag group huddled around the dimly lit map table. She cleared her throat, a simple sound that demanded their full attention. She had the floor. Rebus sat at attention beside her, watching everyone.
"Andrew the Paladin is on his way back to us from the Capitol," she began, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "He's not alone. He's bringing something called a Lord Garbus."
There was a murmur from the goblins in the room, but Sam and Ravi both nodded without any obvious sign of recognition at the noble's name.
"We need to think about how we present ourselves," she said. "Garbus has influence with the Kingdom and we'll need him not to think we're just a ravenous mob of murderers. We need to leave a good impression."
She gave them a summary of Silira's comments about Garbus, and Ravi looked thoughtful.
"I want suggestions on how to present our power without appearing threatening. Maybe an aura of respectful tranquility?"
"We're anything but tranquil right now," Ravi said. "We've got wounded all over and half the place was wrecked to start with."
"Agreed," Sam said. "But we should clean up this space. We can use it for a formal meeting room. I assume they're not staying the night? I'm don't think we can do that in a way that will impress one of his kind."
"Then we shouldn't look like we're trying and failing," Ravi said. "This is a working field headquarters, and we want to appear to be something more than a rabble."
Ravi of the Deadmoors[4]: Silira doesn't want to be here for the free meeting anyway so we should see if she'll take him back to the Capitol. That way the paladin can stay. He might be useful.
She looked up at Ravi and gave him a careful nod. Presumably a free meeting was the thing Sam had hinted about, but she was still in the dark about what that really meant. She needed to get up to speed, and soon.
She left them to start organizing - which included Ravi telling all the alpha goblins present to start sorting everyone out into something that looked like more than random clusters of mobs. She left them all to it, and went downstairs with Rebus to the main hall.
I can't put this off any longer.
After last night there were twenty three wildmen left alive and now they were all clustered together near the fire, talking and laughing loudly in a language that barely made sense even with her dark tongue skills. They were huge, and had long scraggly red and brown hair and beards, and dressed in rags of what looked like some kind of leather. One of them noticed her approaching and bellowed something incomprehensible.
Whatever it was, it had an instant effect. They all jumped to their feet to face her and suddenly she was staring up at a towering mass of huge hairy men with deadly serious looks on their faces. She held up one hand to hold them still, and checked her latest message with her eyes closed, trying to look like she was doing something mystical.
Ravi of the Deadmoors[3]: So Sam just told me that he hasn't filled you in on free meetings yet. Fucking ridiculous. I'll do that later. Suffice it to say we need a sacrificial victim, so you might want to think about which of your children we can afford to lose.
I'm not so feeble Ravi. I'm sure we can put one of the casualties to use.
Her mind instantly went to the badly injured troll. That seemed like an easy choice.
"You fought well last night," she said to what appeared to be the leader of the wildmen. "What is your name?"
"I be Baric, my lady," the huge one rumbled. Ashley had to suppress an urge to laugh. His accent was thick. It was…
Oh god, what is it? I know it.
It was right there but she couldn't get hold of it.
Get a grip.
"Are you the leader of these ones?" she asked.
"Aye," Baric said. Then his eyes went wide and he growled something at the others. They all fell to their knees in front of her.
"We give ye our fealty, my lady. Do with us what ye will."
"If you fight for me as well as you showed you can, then I will be satisfied. We will all go home, though if we do have to fight I expect you'll do your people proud."
"As ye say, my lady. We're yours to command."
He didn't seem quite so obsequious as the Goblins and the other assorted monsters were, but that might be a good thing. She needed to consult with Ravi on it, but she got the sense that they might be a bit smarter than much of the rest of her little army. Appraise revealed Baric to be a Barbarian, along with all the rest of them who were all Barbarians to a man ranging from 17 to Baric's level 28.
They'll do, I guess.
She thought it best to keep some royal detachment, so she exchanged a few brief words with the biggest of them, and then left them to their own devices, with orders to straighten up the main hall a bit.
She headed back towards her own room intending to sit down and organize her thoughts, along with sorting through the map again to see who was where. It was already getting hard to keep track. Rebus trailed quietly along behind her until they were on the stairs.
Ashley studied the map, practicing the art of simultaneous walking and reading without stumbling. All the colored dots elicited a frustrated snarl from her throat. Each one was someone with their own needs and demands, and she was sure that not a single one of them spared a thought for her wishes.
"Just so you're aware," Rebus remarked, his paws treading softly on the steps, "You needn't shoulder every burden alone. I did notice the heightening of your senses."
"So?"
"So if you were to share your expanded awareness with with me, you'll have double the eyes monitoring the situation."
"That's an option?"
"Honestly I'm not sure how you would do it, but I know it can be done. A number of things have become clearer to me since last night, and this is one of them."
"Alright, that's a priority. I can't look everywhere at once."
She hoped there was time to do that and to generally get herself updated before Andrew showed up with their guest.
The two minor goblins were still guarding her door, and when she saw them she stopped and slapped herself on the forehead.
"One of you," she barked. "Go find me a mirror. A big one."
The two creatures stared at each other in bafflement for a moment and then one of them, presumably the most junior, ran down the stairs without another word.
A moment later she stuck her head out of the door again and sent the other one scurrying off with orders to bring her some damned breakfast.