[ An immediate follow-up, no judgement or questions. He doesn't know what plenty of things are, he cannot throw stones.
Still, he's waiting on the edge of the field, gives Slick a nod as soon as he draws close and turns to begin walking out along the edge.
Fields are wide and open, allowing them a decent view so they aren't snuck up on too easy, but do have little hidey places they can tuck themselves into along the edges. He walks a little before beginning a quiet, but very leading inquiry: ]
Wrathion isn't the type to fuck around without intending to imminently Find Out.
He mulls this over thoughtfully a second, trying to consider if he should adjust his approach, then ultimately decides not to. Slick has never really required delicacy in things like this, he doesn't think he will require it now. ]
It appears these villages all have their own deal of sorts with the undead legions. The Beastmaster is their patron, and visits seasonally. He is due back sometime soon.
Wrathion pauses in his pacing, arms folded -- fingers drumming uneasily against his arm. ]
There's something else you should know. Before I arrived in Taravast, the Beastmaster was hunting me in my true shape. It would be... dangerous if he succeeded in controlling me.
['True shape'? So, Wrathion wasn't just from another species, he was a shapeshifter of some kind? That was rare as hell. And he could see why that would be a problem.] Alright. You're priority number one, then.
And we need to figure out ways to combat those mind-tricks, then. I've got first-hand on what it feels like, but I don't know how to resist it.
[ Slick isn't asking at all, which is... touching, in a way. It shows complete trust, no detail necessary.
Yet Wrathion thinks detail is necessary, here. It's necessary to understand the danger. ]
I've some experience, but I've had no time to research the local variant. It took me time, before, to work up something to resist mind control. Examples of victims to study. People trying to make a tool of me is something I have... experience with. Madness, brought about endless whispered horrors.
[ A pause. ]
If I'm turned, Anduin won't leave me.
[ He unfolds one of his arms and holds out his hand flat, palm up, conjuring a ghostly illusion in his hand of a dragon. ]
He won't want to hurt me, either. I want you to make sure I don't hurt anyone, if that happens. He won't be able to.
Yennefer might be someone to talk to about that, with all the mind stuff she does. I've already asked for instruction, so I won't need to tell her anything about this.
[And... Alright. There's no great way to judge scale from this... hologram or whatever it is. But if this is what Wrathion should look like, and that's the size of a human or bigger? Yeah, he can see that being a big problem. And he hasn't forgotten about that 'natural gift' for fire that Wrathion's got.]
Can do. [He says it with flat confidence, but he's got no idea how. He'll have to think through that.] If you're throwing fire around, though, I'm going to need some assistance. Fox started teaching me how to shape it, but I'm still learning.
[He'll need to figure out what's fire retardant around here. Water obviously, but that's bulky and a pain in the ass to work with. Maybe Lily or Hermione could help with that. Hermione did chemical work, right?
And he'd have to make sure people were set up with a safehouse, possibly one that Wrathion doesn't know about. He doesn't think he retained any memories when he got captured, but he probably wasn't given individual attention either...
He's got a lot to think about.]
Glad you let me know. We can start prep work for this, rather than scramble when things go bad.
Anduin has some ability to soothe anger and control the mind, but if he'd be strong enough to counter the Beastmaster I cannot say. He normally uses it... short term.
[ Since, obviously, he isn't the kind of person to use it long term. Two minutes in his company will tell you the kind of person he is, Wrathion thinks. He's the sort of person to pick up every broken creature in his path and try to heal and protect it. ]
Something we cannot test in advanced, unfortunately, but that I don't doubt he might try.
[ Another pause, Wrathion's fingers tapping against his arm. ]
Hermione also knows my true shape.
[ This is the extent of the circle of trust -- although, admittedly, he hadn't... discussed the Beastmaster problem with her.
He supposes she might want to know? Yet, somehow, he feels loathe to put the worry on her. ]
Alright. That's good--we can work with that. [He was going to ask Hermione anyway, so this just makes things easier.]
In the meantime, we need to set up defensible positions. The critters that attacked Taravast can crawl in through pretty much anywhere you leave unsecured, and they've got real sensitive eyes and ears. [He doesn't remember much of what it was like to experience it, but he got really good at hunting them in the weeks after that.] We might be able to keep noncombatants hidden if we have enough sensory chaff going to confuse them.
Oh right, jargon. [He forgets that nine out of ten people think magic translator-comms jewelry is perfectly normal, but they don't know what a radio is.] A distraction. Some sort of random, meaningless noise going through a whole area, to drown out quieter stuff.
The first one. You might be able to disrupt them if things get loud enough--they're sensitive. And you can draw them away if you really know their hunting calls. [Which he kind of did, but his Monster Screeching probably had a horrible accent.]
Lights, too. But they've got some blind ones that can pair up with the others to flush people out of lit areas. [It was effective. He remembered that much.]
[He can imagine. Everybody got caught off-guard by those buggers last time. It ended up being absolute hell. Reviewing that can be helpful, but he wants to pull it back around to plans for the future.]
So, their main tactics are coordinated assaults and harrying their targets. If we can get them into situations where they can't do that, we'll have the upper hand. We need to identify places where we can limit the avenues of approach, and keep them overwhelmed. [He'd have to start looking over the place more critically. Shame they weren't closer to the mountain, getting dug in would be easier there.
Still.] These lords are used to just swinging in and hitting soft targets. If we can fortify, we'll have a defensive advantage.
[ Harrying their targets is certainly something Wrathion has first hand experience with. He takes a breath, one hand lifting to rub at his beard. ]
A fortified location with limited entrances would work for that, as you say. However limited entrances also means limited exits.
[ Easy to trap themselves in, and there's certainly solutions to 'everyone hidden in one building' that someone with little care for innocent lives could enact. ]
Yeah. But these things will likely have advantage in numbers and speed, and we don't have any transports that could handle evac. ...But most everything around here being made out of wood is a problem. [All the more reason to look into whether magical fireproofing is a thing that can happen. He has no idea if it is, but it feels like something that should be possible.]
[ Mmmm. The comment about everything being wood has Wrathion flinching a little, looking back towards the village and gauging how... flammable everything is. ]
I meant more in the sense of that, being trapped in a building could become dangerous quickly.
[ One entrance? Block it, set it on fire or block it and send something mobile in to cause havoc. It could certainly go downhill very quickly. ]
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sergeant_slick) wrote2021-08-04 06:28 pm
no subject
[ An immediate follow-up, no judgement or questions. He doesn't know what plenty of things are, he cannot throw stones.
Still, he's waiting on the edge of the field, gives Slick a nod as soon as he draws close and turns to begin walking out along the edge.
Fields are wide and open, allowing them a decent view so they aren't snuck up on too easy, but do have little hidey places they can tuck themselves into along the edges. He walks a little before beginning a quiet, but very leading inquiry: ]
You were in Taravast while it was under siege?
no subject
It's a decent spot. Good sightlines. Yet another reason to like Wrathion: he appreciates the important stuff.
And it's good they're out here, because he wouldn't be talking about this around the locals.]
Yeah, but I don't remember much. I got nabbed by some of the creatures while trying to defend an objective.
no subject
The ones under the command of the Beastmaster?
[ Just to be sure they're on the same page here. Slick having experience in the topic would certainly be... useful. ]
no subject
no subject
Wrathion isn't the type to fuck around without intending to imminently Find Out.
He mulls this over thoughtfully a second, trying to consider if he should adjust his approach, then ultimately decides not to. Slick has never really required delicacy in things like this, he doesn't think he will require it now. ]
It appears these villages all have their own deal of sorts with the undead legions. The Beastmaster is their patron, and visits seasonally. He is due back sometime soon.
no subject
[He needed to get back in contact with Yennefer. Ask if there were ways to keep people out of your head.]
no subject
Perfect.
Wrathion pauses in his pacing, arms folded -- fingers drumming uneasily against his arm. ]
There's something else you should know. Before I arrived in Taravast, the Beastmaster was hunting me in my true shape. It would be... dangerous if he succeeded in controlling me.
no subject
And we need to figure out ways to combat those mind-tricks, then. I've got first-hand on what it feels like, but I don't know how to resist it.
no subject
Yet Wrathion thinks detail is necessary, here. It's necessary to understand the danger. ]
I've some experience, but I've had no time to research the local variant. It took me time, before, to work up something to resist mind control. Examples of victims to study. People trying to make a tool of me is something I have... experience with. Madness, brought about endless whispered horrors.
[ A pause. ]
If I'm turned, Anduin won't leave me.
[ He unfolds one of his arms and holds out his hand flat, palm up, conjuring a ghostly illusion in his hand of a dragon. ]
He won't want to hurt me, either. I want you to make sure I don't hurt anyone, if that happens. He won't be able to.
no subject
[And... Alright. There's no great way to judge scale from this... hologram or whatever it is. But if this is what Wrathion should look like, and that's the size of a human or bigger? Yeah, he can see that being a big problem. And he hasn't forgotten about that 'natural gift' for fire that Wrathion's got.]
Can do. [He says it with flat confidence, but he's got no idea how. He'll have to think through that.] If you're throwing fire around, though, I'm going to need some assistance. Fox started teaching me how to shape it, but I'm still learning.
no subject
Big problem. ]
Fire is a given.
[ He curls his fingers closed, folds his arms again and studies Slick thoughtfully. ]
Thank you.
[ He does realise this is a big thing to dump on someone, but... well. Someone needs to know the risk is there. ]
no subject
And he'd have to make sure people were set up with a safehouse, possibly one that Wrathion doesn't know about. He doesn't think he retained any memories when he got captured, but he probably wasn't given individual attention either...
He's got a lot to think about.]
Glad you let me know. We can start prep work for this, rather than scramble when things go bad.
no subject
[ Since, obviously, he isn't the kind of person to use it long term. Two minutes in his company will tell you the kind of person he is, Wrathion thinks. He's the sort of person to pick up every broken creature in his path and try to heal and protect it. ]
Something we cannot test in advanced, unfortunately, but that I don't doubt he might try.
[ Another pause, Wrathion's fingers tapping against his arm. ]
Hermione also knows my true shape.
[ This is the extent of the circle of trust -- although, admittedly, he hadn't... discussed the Beastmaster problem with her.
He supposes she might want to know? Yet, somehow, he feels loathe to put the worry on her. ]
no subject
In the meantime, we need to set up defensible positions. The critters that attacked Taravast can crawl in through pretty much anywhere you leave unsecured, and they've got real sensitive eyes and ears. [He doesn't remember much of what it was like to experience it, but he got really good at hunting them in the weeks after that.] We might be able to keep noncombatants hidden if we have enough sensory chaff going to confuse them.
no subject
'Sensory chaff'?
[ Said with the exaggerated over-pronunciation of someone repeating an unfamiliar term. ]
no subject
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To make it more difficult to locate people hiding, or to disrupt them? Do we know if they can hear, or if they track by some other method?
[ Heat? Scent? Some other signature? ]
no subject
Lights, too. But they've got some blind ones that can pair up with the others to flush people out of lit areas. [It was effective. He remembered that much.]
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I didn't have much chance to vary my tactics while they chased me. They did not appear to tire.
[ Which is... bad. It's bad when the thing chasing doesn't tire. ]
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So, their main tactics are coordinated assaults and harrying their targets. If we can get them into situations where they can't do that, we'll have the upper hand. We need to identify places where we can limit the avenues of approach, and keep them overwhelmed. [He'd have to start looking over the place more critically. Shame they weren't closer to the mountain, getting dug in would be easier there.
Still.] These lords are used to just swinging in and hitting soft targets. If we can fortify, we'll have a defensive advantage.
no subject
A fortified location with limited entrances would work for that, as you say. However limited entrances also means limited exits.
[ Easy to trap themselves in, and there's certainly solutions to 'everyone hidden in one building' that someone with little care for innocent lives could enact. ]
no subject
no subject
I meant more in the sense of that, being trapped in a building could become dangerous quickly.
[ One entrance? Block it, set it on fire or block it and send something mobile in to cause havoc. It could certainly go downhill very quickly. ]