Game: Great minds think alike (Part II)

"That sounds like Lomax, alright. Well, its nice to finally get some information on him. Tell me Naruk, has he ever told you information that you didn't, or couldn't, have known yourself?"

*Blackthornes will sit and listen intently to their back and forth conversation. He interjects after Naruk say "Lots of."*
"That's strange, in my case, he just told me some half guesses and would be future events. He started talking to me after we took down that nasty Illithid in Akin's if I remember correctly."

Ian listens to Saath speak. "Well, you just met him. At first, I was a bit worried by it too. But give him long enough to save your life, you'll come around. Besides, I doubt there's much you can do to make him leave besides asking politely."

Ian turns back to Naruk. "Now, when it comes right down to it, everything else about Lomax is pretty secondary compared to this. In the time that you have known Lo..." Ian pauses. "...Goa'un, has he ever intentionally steered you wrong?"

"Then we can trust him, and thats the most important thing. Anything else is simply managing curiosity."

OOC: Hey, did we ever hear from Ophelia(Player)? I mean, she said she was going in for surgery, and then she never replied again. I'm kinda worried...

*Blackthornes just thinks to himself for the time being, still listening to the rest of the group.*
"Hey Lomax, why isn't I never heard you whenI was on Toril? If what Naruk says is true, then, you could have saved my tail in a load of situations. Why haven't you spoken until now? If you had saved me back in Athkutla, I would never have ventured into the damned ring and met up with this fool Shadowknife. As wise as he may be, I bitterly detest almost everything about him."
OOC: Yeah, i've been worried for quite sometime now, I hope everything is alright.

Ian sits in thought for a moment. "Naruk. When goa'un first began speaking to you, was there anything especially odd or unique occurring during your life? exposure to a certain artifact, exploring some new demiplane, or some sort of other precipitating event?"

Awaiting his answer, Ian leans over to the Masked Gnoll and whispers. "You can put your hand down now."

Then I'd rather you're not quiet. Saath thinks with an undertone of 'keep your friends close, your enemies even closer' he can't conceal. So how come you've 'awakened' only minutes ago? Why that moment?

"I'm gonna go take a look at the door" Saath says while heading toward the door in the floor.

The Masked Gnoll sheepishly lowers his hand. He reaches into his napsack, and starts petting Ms. Daisy.
I don't need any imaginary friends as long as I got you, Ms. Daisy. he thinks to himself.

"Are you a priest Blackthornes? Are you a priest and you didn't tell me? Because unless you're a priest and didn't tell me, I don't think we can bring her back right now." Theres a slightly hostile hint to the Masked Gnolls voice, which suddenly disappears as he says "Please be a priest. I don't think I like Ophelia pocket-sized."

"I think what the Masked Gnoll meant was that unless someone here has been hiding something, none of us have the power to restore Ophelia. And we aren't likely to find much help in the middle of the Abyss. And, as much as I like Ophelia, I'm afraid there are more pressing concerns."

"Namely, Xanarox. Now, I have the beginnings of a plan in mind... but I would like to hear what you all think our course of action should be. After all, I'm no leader in any official sense, and you all know more about your abilities than I do. So, keeping in mind that the odds are against us in a direct confrontation, what are your suggestions?"

Ian raises an eyebrow. "Ignoring the fact that the undead of his appear to be liches, which makes them powerful magic users in their own right, I think your forgetting Xanarox's time traveling powers."

Ian nods. "I'm hearing more or less what I expected to hear. And I think I have a plan that will to play to all our strengths. It goes something like this."

"Tomorrow morning, Blackthornes, Azure and I will depart on a mission of stealth to confirm the location of the tower. No one else. Blackthornes needs to examine the tower from afar for the latter part of my plan to go smoothly, I need to know where the tower is, and Azure is the closest thing we have to a guide. It is important that we are not detected during this part of the plan."

"Having completed this task, we will return here, and regroup. Then, I will leave. You all will more or less surround the tower, and wait."
"I will be using my ring to fly out of the mist, and into the normal area of the abyss. If all goes well, I will pick a fight with some of the vrocks we saw before, and lead them on a chase that ends at the tower. Once we are close enough that they have seen Xanarox, I'll escape into the mist."

"Then, we observe Xanarox fighting the Vrocks. Not only do we get to see him in action, to better plan how to fight him, but any spell that they use on the vrocks is one less for them to use on us. While they are fighting, I will use this..." Ian pulls out a wand. "... To enhance your defenses. It only works for a short time, but it can give you a considerable edge."

"After Xanarox dispatches, or drives away, the Vrocks... we strike."

Ian points at Blackthornes. "You won't be fighting. You have more important duties. I'll give you the key before I leave, and at the first oppertunity, you enter the tower and attempt to locate the portal. Clear away any traps Xanarox might have set in our way, and prepare the portal to take us to the past. I want us able to leave the moment we are there. Do not engage in the battle at all costs."

"Saath, Naruk and Azure will be engaged in hit and run tactics, using the mist as cover. Exactly how they handle it will be up to them."

Ian looks at the Masked Gnoll. "We need the Masked Gnoll to open and close the door to this sanctuary is all goes to hell. So he will hang back for the first 10-15 seconds of combat. If Xanarox can defeat us easily, it will become obvious within that span of time. After that, I will telekineticaly throw him into the middle of battle. The Masked Gnolls greatest weakness is his lack of a ranged weapon. This will give him an element of surprise, and allow him to get in close, fast."

"Sejanus, you will be our wall. engage as you see fit, but you're primary objective will be to stay between them and the tower. Buy Blackthornes as much time as possible."

"I will be making hit and run attacks, combined with using my ring to provide emergency evacuation if any of you are seriously wounded."

"Any question, suggestions, or complaints?" Ian asks cheerfully.

"Then we have him in a confined area, and can use hit and run attacks more effectively. If he's guarding the time gate, than we can use his reluctance to leave the area to our advantage."

"If he pursues us, than we can draw him out into the open, and proceed as planned."

Ian thinks for a moment. "When we scout the area tomorrow morning, we will proceed as planned if we see them guarding from the outside. After all, even if its only the liches outside, if we can take one out, thats one less threat."

"If we have it on good authority that they are in the tower, we'll return, and the more speed and stealth inclined of us will head in and incur a brief encounter, followed by a full retreat. If they follow, the Masked Gnoll and Sejanus can ambush them at the door. If they don't... we'll adapt. No plan survives contact with the enemy."

"I don't suppose anyone here has anything quick and widespread that we can use against them as a hit and run method?"

"And that, Naruk, is why I had hoped to have him engage the Vrocks first. To see what limits, if any, his power had. However, while time travel itself is a very powerful ability, I would imagine that the same basic rules of magic would apply. In other words, he needs to be able to see us to target us. If he could erase us without knowing our exact location, I think we would already be gone."
"And yes, the hit and run tactic will be risky. But the same concerns you expressed before, if true, would mean that a direct attack would result in our instant failure, right?"

Ian pauses for a moment, then turns to Saath. "I would recommend the second as well, unless we see one of them using a powerful item, such as a staff, that we need out of the way."

Ian then turns to address the group again. "When it comes right down to it we really, really need to get him outside the tower. From what I overheard, the mist makes Xanarox's time travel abilities unreliable. We can also use it as cover. If he's outside the tower, we can surround him, and he can't target us all at once."

"If we can't get him outside the tower, its still in our best interests to see him in combat before fighting him ourselves. Does anyone here have any summoning ability?"

"And as for you, Azure. I understand your position completely. This isn't your fight. After you lead us to the tower tomorrow morning, you are free to do as you wish. But know that our overall plan requires us to reach that gate, and use it. If you don't come with us, we can't get you off this plane."

Ian pauses for a moment. "There is one plan that I had, but I doubt it will work. Find some way to lead Xanarox away from the tower. But that requires him to be extraordinarily stupid."

What would you suggest? Ian thinks at Lomax.

"Oh, and Blackthornes? None of us are going to walk up to the tower. All of us will be afar. The reason you're coming is so you can see whatever ways in there are, for when you need to use one."