You Don't Waste No Time At All

[Aegis]

Date

And so, Faith accepted the position, and Famula stepped aside for her general to get to work. She watched and listened politely and quietly, just as all her followers did. At Faith's question, there was a moment of hesitance in Famula's eyes, a moment that only Faith would be able to see. Then she spoke, "I do not know what Ellasin is after. I'm afraid I'm far out of my element here. You have my help, but I am limited. I have the highest confidence in you, Champion mine, you are for more suited for this task than myself."

Following Faith's question to the entire congregation, she was soon being given stories from the various Zuuda present. They spoke of their run-ins with various Necromancers, some who claimed to be within the Coven. They spoke of attacks they suspected to be of Ellasin's hand. They spoke of the resources they had at their disposal in their various areas of the world. They were all being quite helpful, and while they had their own limited intelligence of Zuuda and their associates, they were by no means a spy network. But perhaps they were enough.

Once they were all done giving their reports to Faith, Famula stood, taking her son by the hand, and walked toward Faith. First to Padraig, "Vri, Moseke, and Jesine are all loyal allies mine. Perhaps they might know that which I cannot. I never expected to be mother to a spymaster in a war, but I couldn't be more proud, son mine."

Famula then reached into her cloak, and pulled out a black metal lantern that glowed blood red. She cast the light over Padraig, then Faith. She then handed the lantern to her General, "This tool will allow you to bestow access to this realm unto others until this war is finished. One must cast their blood upon a mortal doorway with intent, and Zuudaria will find them. To you, I grant this gift." Then looking at her son, "It is powered by what mortals call 'Wells', though this particular one can only be found here."

Famula's head turned toward the door to her Mausoleum. Looking back at Faith and Padraig, "I must go. Mine own duties require me." Then she smiled softly, "Thank you, all of you, for being ever faithful servants."

And she was gone, leaving Faith and Padraig and all the other Zuuda behind in her home.

!	Message from: Aegis
	Unless you specifically need to continue this, I will consider this done after a post from each of you. If you'd like specific information given by the Zuuda, ask me specific questions via DM or Discord and I will answer as best I can to be included in your posts.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith was completely out of her depth. She didn't doubt it, not for a moment. Yet, equally, she knew that the man at her side would be there, no matter what. Knowing that, in itself, gave her the strength she needed to just get on and do this. Because of course that was what they were going to do - they were going to deal with this. Because there was nothing else that they could, or would ever do. So, she spoke as well as she could, doing the best that she could with what she had. If she was honest, Faith felt rather small and completely overwhelmed. But then, Padraig took his turn and started to speak and Faith watched with pride on her face. He was as unnerved as her, moreso when one took into account just how uncomfortable he felt around all things associated with death.

But yes, he took on the idea of setting a trap and he took it further. Faith listened to what he said, and she lifted one eyebrow when he turned and oh-so-calmly said, 'not you' to her. But then, in the next breath, it would be him if necessary? Faith's shake of the head was clear. "Not us. Not any of us," she said. "Not you." The last, to Padraig. If he thought for one moment that she was going to let him throw himself in front of Ellasin, then he had another thing coming and her whole 'I don't ever argue, because I used to be a slave' thing would be right out of the window. After all, he'd never liked her tendency to just not argue, he was much happier when she was being herself. "And that's that." There wasn't a foot stamp, but it was touch and go there for a moment.

"What we need from you all," Faith said, her mind racing. "Is any and all access to resources which you have which might help us. If you have knowledge of Ellasin, any information on necromancy, experience with fighting Liches or the Coven. I need to get an overview of your skills." And in the first instance, she thought, she needed to know ... "If any of you have any information which may be helpful, " she had a notebook in her domain bag and she pulled that out, quite happy to rip out pages and pass them around. There were so many of them, so many, and Faith wasn't sure that she could quite work out what to do.

And then, it hit her that she knew.

She had to be in charge. Not let her voice waver, not hesitate or be uncertain. Be in charge. They needed her to be. So, once the parchment was passed out, she looked around and she breathed in. "Alright, so, I have a task for you all - for us all - for the rest of this season," she said. "We will reconvene here on the 1st Ymiden. In that time, I want you, I need you, to prepare for war. Find out everything you can - safely - about Ellasin, the Coven, about Necromancy and Liches. Gather every resource you have that you can trust. When we come back here, on the 1st Ymiden, I will give you another piece of parchment, and ask you to fill that in. But we will do it more prepared. In the time we have, if you are a healer, gather herbs and make supplies, if you are a warrior, train and learn. But more than that. If you are an armourer, make armour. If you are a smith, make weapons. Whatever skills you have which might be useful to the cause, use them between now and then. Gather information and hone your skill. Then, on the 1st Ymiden, come back here ready to tell us what role you want," medic, assault, espionage, there was a list. "Bring with you what resources you can and have gathered as much information as possible."

Looking at them, she breathed in and nodded. "In that time, we will have been doing the same. Building resources, planning, information gathering. More than anything, we will have been looking through anything that you can tell us now and including it in our plans. Then, on the 1st Ymiden, we will begin."

Padraig no doubt had ideas also, she thought they would be more around alchemy and that sort of thing. Any physical items which might be useful rather than just weapons or armour, she was sure he'd have more ideas than that. So, she waited until he had spoken and then, because it seemed like something she should do, she spoke again as he collected up the last of the bits of parchment. "Protect yourself in this time. Be safe, be cautious. When we meet again on the 1st Ymiden, be armed and armoured, even if fighting is not your usual. I will be back here, every trial between now and then. If you need to meet, or talk. We'll do it. First Ymiden, in Famula's name."

[Padraig]

So not even Famula knew what Ellasin was after. The revelation brought a thoughtful frown to Padraig's face. If not even the Immortal of Death, his own mother could be sure, then much of what they were doing, they were doing partly blind and on Faith. it wasn't a very scientific approach, which obviously Padraig was more comfortable with. But it was what it was.

The stories from the gallery were helpful however. Padraig was not any sort of military leader, or even a strategist...which he would have pointed out to Faith in private, had she given him any warning before nominating him for the job of spy master. After all, he wasn't a spy either. No more than they were a spy network...apparently. It struck him. It was very like the blind leading the blind here though he did his best to pretend otherwise. He'd do his best, and so would they. When Famula took him by the hand, he smiled and followed her. "Well that makes us even," Padraig said dryly but with a grin. "I never expected to be a spymaster...Mother."

The lantern was interesting, and would be useful he was sure. Very, very useful indeed, when she told them what it was for, and how they might use it. "Thank you," he said, and the depth of his gratitude was there in his eyes to see. He bowed to her in farewell, and then she was gone. Of course he still maintained that it might be useful, was he to act as bait in a trap. But he knew Faith all to well. It was an argument he'd never win, no matter how well debated. He quirked a brow when she said that was that, but said no more of it.

"One more thing before you go," he said, adding to Faith's instructions before all the others had left. "I am an alchemist. But we may need much more than I can create on my own, given the limited amount of time we have available. If any of you have access to alchemical reagents, from anywhere in the world, they would be extremely useful to our cause. Also, preparation is key. Reading, doing...Any protections that you can secure for yourself or others, from magic in particular, would be very well advised."

As for traps? Well he had a few already. "Along with lures, along with ways to track Ellasin down or draw her in, traps and ambushes are a part of that. I can lay a field full of weight triggered explosives, for all the good it would do against an opponent that can weigh next to nothing, or can sniff them our before taking a step. Poisoned or altered weapons are only measures that can be used once face to face. So any ideas about traps, bring them with you," he added, and then he was done.

[Aegis]

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Faith

• Skill Points - 15
• Renown - 10
• Skill Knowledges
  1. Intelligence: Consider usual - and unusual - behaviour.
  2. Leadership: Wartime General in an Immortal's War
  3. Leadership: Fake it till you make it.
  4. Tactics: Notice your own weaknesses.
  5. Tactics: Use knowledge of yourself to turn weaknesses into strengths.
  6. Tactics: Considering the reason for out-of-the-norm behaviour.
  7. Tactics: Do what is expected of you - and what is not.
  8. Tactics: When you have time to prepare - use it.
• Non-Skill Knowledges
• Items and Other Rewards
  1. Lantern of the General - "This tool will allow you to bestow access to this realm unto others until this war is finished. One must cast their blood upon a mortal doorway with intent, and Zuudaria will find them." This lantern is powered by a Famula Well. This is its Raw State power. If you wish to discover the Core or Fragment powers, you must attempt to process the well IC and PM the local mod for the outcome.
  2. Title - Famula's War Time General - This title grants Faith access and command over Zuuda in the entirety of Idalos.

Padraig

• Skill Points - 15
• Renown - 5
• Skill Knowledges
  1. Intelligence: Consider usual - and unusual - behaviour.
  2. Intelligence: A vital part of war
  3. Intelligence: Allows you to predict movements
  4. Intelligence: Allows you to interpret movements
  5. Intelligence: In order to lay a trap, you need bait
  6. Intelligence: Bait needs to be believable, and desired
  7. Leadership: Spymaster in an Immortal's War
  8. Tactics: When you have time to prepare - use it.
• Non-Skill Knowledges
• Items and Other Rewards

Final Notes

If you have any questions, please PM me.

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!

Message from: Aegis

Completed: Due to the amount of time they have to train, your Zuuda army is more skilled -I have taken this into account in the guidelines for when you create NPCs below. Your intelligence gathering allows you the following: To have all existing site lore on Necromancy, (including use of wells and other relevant information) available to all pcs/ npc in the war. Since this thread is grandfathered, please post in “Lady Mercy” and give out this information IC. This can then be assumed for all NPCs. NPCs: I need you to write up the following: The five champion Zuuda. (done) Key exalted, adored, and favoured Zuuda. Please use the following as guidelines. Champions have access to Master level skills. There may even be two or three Grandmaster skills among the five, but no capstones. Exalted have access to Master level skills, and may have a few of these each. The majority of skills will be expert and below, however. Adored have access to Expert level skills. There might be a single Master level skill, but it would need a very good reason. Favoured have access to Competent level skills. They may have one or two Expert level, but again, needs to be clear in the write up.