>>5346944>>5346933>>5346928>>5346880>>5346857>>5346832>>5346796>>5346788>>5346764>>5346715>>5346705>>5346652>>5346651>>5346646You opt to take three members of your retinue with you… Or, well, two-and-a-half, you suppose. Firstly, you will bring the Cartographer, to map whatever you discover of the outcast elves’ subterranean realm, and Agno—the ‘and-a-half’, since he is not formally a member of your retinue but Is ALSO too much of a rabble-rouser to be left to his own devices in your absence. In addition to them, Olu the Archer is an obvious choice. The Degenerate’s assumptions are correct: his diplomatic and romantic inroads are invaluable. You still do not now what exactly the title of ‘Princess’ entails in Drow culture, out in implies importance inherent to Jazkarmel beyond being a leader of the forward base… And Oluwadamilare has been rutting with her and developed an obvious mutual affinity.
Reflecting on such connections brings your mind to the matter of your own such close connections… And thus, to the Novice Fleshweaver. You’ve never mated, of course, and the degree to which she is even interested in such when her heat cycle begins is unclear… But you HAVE developed a certain mutual closeness from your initial acrimonious rivalry. Now, alas, you must leave her behind.
“Seems sensible to me,” she sniffs, utterly unbothered by the announcement. “There is much for me to research here.”
“Actually,” you segue, “I had an idea for how you might apply your talents in my absence.”
“I will humour your layman’s suggestion,” she comments dryly.
When you tell her your plan, however, she does indeed see the wisdom of it.
“We have more than enough material,” she acknowledges, “IF the dwarven females will let us collect their male offspring’s blood.”
“They will have little choice,” you assert. “Just leave them alive. Let us not spur them to outrage and revolt if we can help it.”
“If we put down such a revolt, I will have more materials to work with,” the Novice muses.
You glare at her.
“What?” she asks, defensively. “I do not PLAN to provoke one. I am merely… Planning contingencies.”
“Right,” you sigh.
“Anyway, we have enough of the OTHER materials Amulets of Disguise—precious metals, gems—for me to construct many of these, given time… But most of us do not speak he dwarf-tongue. We will still be a poor bluff.”
“The Translator and North-Merchant may be some help in that regard,” you say with a shrug. “As for buying you time, and decreasing the likelihood of you needing to put your LACKLUSTRE linguistic skills to the test…”
You have a plan for that, also—a plan involving the expending of much of the next day, and critically all your energy, in casting <Earth Tremor> and <Wall of Stone> to collapse and block off every way in and out of the fort.
