Old World Monsters Act One: Of Pagans

[Marcao]

"Thank you Magistrate." he replied as bowed at the waist before the authority figure. Yes, in more ways than not the magistrate was his inferior socially and otherwise but the pleasantries of human existance had to be followed in order to cause the least discomfort to all involved. And now it was time to get to the bottom of things. For a moment, a fraction of a second he visibly hesitated. A part of him tempted by the prospect of introducing himself to the other apparent mercenaries. He suspected that they were all far more than they seemed to be but all he had was suspicions at this point. It mattered little, in time they would give up their secrets.

He turned on his heels and sought to walk out of the room. Pleasantries come could later, right now he wanted to identify if there was a place of worship in this town. He always started in the churches, it would be the first place he would protect, his base of operations while he remained in a town. the faithful deserved his attentions far more so than those that lacked.

[rhoenix]

Taking a deep bow, Agrilos rose with a somewhat tired-looking, but nevertheless genuine smile to the Magistrate. "Thank you again for taking the time to meet with us, Magistrate. I'll go begin my survey and begin seeing what can be done about the defenses."

With that, he handed the fan back to Krystyna, and tried to walk with measured and unhurried steps out of the room. Forcing himself to keep his calm did help, but when the breezes first touched his face as he got outside, he couldn't help but sigh with relief, and close his eyes for a moment.

That moment was over with all too soon, however - he had work to do. He began carefully looking over the entrances to the town, the places where the attacks had purportedly come, and looked through the town's roads as he walked, looking for potential bottlenecks.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Manfred made a curt bow and turned on his heels. Then he existed, quickly. Upon reaching the outside he looked around, surveying points where his talents could strengthen the town's defenses. With all this water around, what with the rain, he already had something in mind.

[The Silence and I]

John bows formally as the servant opens the door and turns to leave with a measured speed. He had not given Francesco more than the slightest glance when that man had entered some moments earlier and as he faces him briefly while passing through his turn John gives a more thorough, but still brief, consideration of the man. His face does not reveal much, the newcomer is apparently not interesting, or perhaps John is preoccupied with some other thoughts.

Now finished pivoting on his heels John strides outside, raising the hood of his rain coat as he walks. He is somewhat slower to leave than Manfred, having taken more time to bow and being slower in the measure of his movements.

Outside, John looks for a nearby guard.

[Shark Bait]

Per bowed his head respectfully to the magistrate before exiting, once outside he kept his gaze down cautious of stray rays of sunshine. He hurried to catch up with Agrilos "Pardon me but might I ask you a question my friend?" he began in a quiet tone making sure no others could hear him "I must ask, have you ever worked with that make Manfred before?"

[Charon]

He turned on his heels and sought to walk out of the room. Pleasantries come could later, right now he wanted to identify if there was a place of worship in this town. He always started in the churches, it would be the first place he would protect, his base of operations while he remained in a town. the faithful deserved his attentions far more so than those that lacked.

It did not take him very long to find the one of the town's churches, the larger steeple clearly evident and as Francesco approached he could see that the whole of the outside of the church was made of wood, with large doors that were ornate for a small town, though nothing impressive by most Italian standards. The doors were closed, but not locked and easily enterable. Inside there were a few frescos of both damnation and salvation, the pews were fairly rich and the stone alter was ornately designed. Within the church itself at the moment were forty people arranged haphazardly in the pews while the priest intoned prayers in Latin, the more common holy tongue of the North.

That moment was over with all too soon, however - he had work to do. He began carefully looking over the entrances to the town, the places where the attacks had purportedly come, and looked through the town's roads as he walked, looking for potential bottlenecks.

The first enterance, from which they had come from, was easy to get to. The openning was in good repair, though it was obvious it had undergone several repairs, with a fifty foot length of pallisade on either side. A large cart was on the right side of the pallisade, and carried no goods on it. As Agrilos moved along the wall towards the second enterance, he noticed that there were many places along the more impromptu wall that were heavily damaged by either attack, weather, or both. There were a few points along the wall where it was clear that pallisades had been up but had been recently torn down. When Agrilos reached the other opening at the river, the pallisade was considerably smaller here, perhaps only 20 feet on either side. Again, there was an empty cart to one side. The fence along the more southern portion along the river was in much better repair than along the northern walls. The Southern opening was very much like the first, save that it did not look as though it had undergone extensive and repeated repairs.

Within the town itself, there were a few points where the paths were narrow enough that blockades could be put up to funnel any attackers into ambushes and traps.

Outside, John looks for a nearby guard.

It was not too hard to find a guard once John began to look along the openning. A new pair of guards had apparently come on duty since the last time that John had been there. One of them looked over to John as he approached. "Is there something I can help you with?"

One thing that those who were looking around town figured out between the number of houses, the size of the guard, the number of churches, that the town consisted of between 1200 and 2000 people. Some houses had been torn apart and had been left that way, though the vast majority of housing was still alright.

For Manfred, as he openned himself to the magical world, he thought he could feel some sort of very subtle pressure encasing him. As he felt further, his focus brought into realization that it must cover much of the town. Whatever it was, it was extremely subtle, as he had barely felt it even in his trance, and it was impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Manfred walked to the gate, got outside and turned around.

"You might want to stand back" he said to the guards "by sunset your defenses will be bolstered considerably. "

He opened himself up to the magic that flowed around him. Ready to take it in, shape, and channel it. To bend the earth, water, and air of the universe to his whim. And there was something else there. Something other than him. Something other than the power he had brought to this town, and something probably not accounted for by the rest of the freak show that he seemed to be working with. A piece of the puzzle? Something wanted by whatever or whomever was driving the attacks? The malevolent entity him or herself? Watching? Manfred couldnt tell, and this disturbed him, in a way that was somewhat different from his usual level of disturbance. He should have been able to feel it, whatever it was... Perhaps it is recent... Once his work is complete he may need to investigate further... But he had not the time for that now. He braced his mind, knowing the madness that would overtake him after he did this... some of it more permanent than the usual madness... he could feel it, the magic he gathered would push him past his usual self-imposed limits and plunge him, ever so slightly, further into his own madness

"Erdo Kan yerblanis kar" he spoke, the first words of a spell that would create a water and spike filled moat around the town.

He pushed his hands out, as if he was pushing the earth away, and indeed he was, a layer of earth, across the entire span of the town's "defenses" was literally pushed into the beginnings of a small berm that stood about 7 meters away from the palisade.

"karveaos ardem vet" While continuing to push with his left hand, Mandfred drew the water back from the area he was digging in, to prevent the water from working against him. He kept his hand drawn back, holding the ever increasing wall of water, which begged to fill in the empty space back.

This he continued, until he had a 4 meter wide three meter deep trench, and corresponding (if taller and less broad) embankment. Then the second stage would begin.

[The Village Idiot]

"Thank you Magistrate, this has helped greatly."

Bowing slightly in respect, Visira followed behind Per out the door. Lingering just outside, waiting for Krystyna, he watched as the others began to spread out to survey the town.

[Rukia]

After taking the fan back from Agrilos, she again took a low curtsy. "I meant no disrespect , sir. I was merely offering a suggestion. My men will be all to willing to help. I will pass on the information." She stood and turned toward the door. She was the last one out and Visira was holding the door. She nodded her head from behind her hood as a thank you.

[Marcao]

Upon finding the church that he sought his eyes lingered upon it as he took a moment to fully appreciate that which he saw. It was true that this particular edifice paled in comparison to some of the Churches he had seen in days past, but it was nonetheless a house of God. It quickly became clear that the ornamentation while not up to the par to the cathedrals he was used to was nonetheless quite good when considering its location. He walked towards the entrance and found the doors closed, he hesitated only for a moment before pushing past and entering the structure itself.

The theme of salvation and damnation was a popular one, as such he was not surprised to find them within. He was somewhat surprised at the quality of the work however, a small smile appearing on his lips as he allowed himself a moment of respite. The themes of salvation and damnation where ones that he could sympathize with. It was only after he was done with his study of the images and themes portrayed within the church that his eyes caught sight of the people arranged within. He sat down promptly, not wishing to disturb the priest as he went about his work.

As he sat, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the words that tumbled from the lips of the priest as he addressed the people gathered within. As he did so, his power expanded and through his will he began to weave the first of his spells. There were no words, there were no incantations. Instead, he harnessed his might and channeled it subtly into individual threads which could be then weaved into whatever he wished. This place was a house of God. It had to be protected and through its protection, so would the faithful find refuge within its halls in the midsts of the darkest storms.

His power crawled along the floor of the church danced amongst the air within and spread like a silken shroud around it. The process was subtle and powerful, taking several minutes to complete. He did not wish to alert potential foes of what he was doing and as such he worked a trickle at a time, wooden plank by wooden plank until finally the entire structure of the church seemed aglow with barely perceptible power. The wards had been forged akin to a semi-permeable membrane. A monster would find it difficult to easily penetrate the barrier, he was quite competent at his craft.

After he had planted the seeds to protect the church itself he waited patiently for the end of the sermon. The end did not come quickly, the priest having unusual ardor for a man in his position. When the people began to scatter, he took the time to act. He stood up from the wooden pew that he alone had occupied and approached the priest.

As he did so two small children brushed past him on their way out of the church, the male child fell on the floor while the female, the sister judging by their eyes and facial features stared.

"We are sorry m`lord! He did not mean anything by it!" The girl blurted out.

"We are all children of God in this place child." He responded. His eyes lingering on the girl for a moment before he offered his hand to the fallen boy child. The boy hesitated for only a moment before a skinny hand reached out and touched his own.

He helped the boy up to his feet and looked at both children. "Where are your parents?"

The boy put on a brave face. "Father died in one of the attacks m`...sir. Mother is ill." He said.

"Mother would have come but she couldn't so she told us to come here and pray for her." The girl interjected sadness flooding her facial features.

"I see." Francesco replied.

"Do you like apples?" He asked.

Both children blinked and looked at each other and nodded. "Yes sir, but we can't..." the girl began.

Francesco cut the child off. "Good." His right hand disappeared beneath his fine robes and reached for one of his pockets where he kept many seeds. Using his fingers alone he counted three and held them in the palm of his hand. It was then that he manipulated life, the seeds quickly becoming three perfectly shaped apples which he showed to the children. "Here we are."

"This one is for you." He reached out and placed an apple in the hands of the girl child. "This one is for you." He reached out and placed an apple in the hands of the male child. "And this one is for your mother." He reached out and placed the final apple on the hands of the girl child, but as he did so he concentrated a droplet of magical energies into the core of that final apple. "make sure that she eats all of it."

The girl nodded dumbly as the final apple was placed in her hands, her eyes lingering on the man. "Are you a priest sir?" The girl asked softly, the silver crucifix catching her attention.

"No, I am not child. But I am a servant of God." He replied. "Now go on, your mother is waiting."

Both children stared at him for a moment before they glanced at each other and nodding scampered off out of the church. He turned his head and watched them go before he turned his attention to the task at hand. The distance between himself and the priest covered quickly.

"Priest, you do admirable work in this town. My name is Francesco Mancini, I have come far seeking to end the terrors that hunt this town and our faithful." He let those words sink in, the silver crucifix which hanged in plain view over his chest displayed with pride.

"As such, I had hoped that we could talk and you could offer your insights as to the town's situation. I have already spent time with the Magistrate, but there are things that one of your faith may know that other men may not. Furthermore, I have placed a gift on this holy ground. If another comes, this church will offer far more protection than it has in times past." He said the last softly. He was an agent of the Lord. God's will flowed through his hands.

[The Silence and I]

It was not too hard to find a guard once John began to look along the openning. A new pair of guards had apparently come on duty since the last time that John had been there. One of them looked over to John as he approached. "Is there something I can help you with?"

After the guard calls out John pulls back his hood so they may better see his face and learn it, although it contains no particular expression at this time. When he answers he stops and leans on his peculiar staff.

"I am called John and for now I am placing myself in the service of this towns' people. I wish to help in the most effective way I can but to do that I must know what is most required at this time. I can work metal and wood with no small skill and I have experience with arms and their use. I also can offer a strong back and pair of arms for whatever purpose may be asked of them. Of these skills which is most needed and who must I talk to about their application?"

[Charon]

As the ground shifted and cracked all along the town, the citizenry began to come out of hiding, wondering what the ominous noise was while the rain finally disappeared. They were treated to a spectacular sight as Manfred continued to shift the earth around. The wizard ran into a few problems as he worked, portions of the moat's wall would crack and slide down into the bottom, creating problems with stability and the rain that was beginning to run into the trench was causing a slight distraction, but ultimately it was not too large of problems at all.

"Priest, you do admirable work in this town. My name is Francesco Mancini, I have come far seeking to end the terrors that hunt this town and our faithful." He let those words sink in, the silver crucifix which hanged in plain view over his chest displayed with pride.

"As such, I had hoped that we could talk and you could offer your insights as to the town's situation. I have already spent time with the Magistrate, but there are things that one of your faith may know that other men may not. Furthermore, I have placed a gift on this holy ground. If another comes, this church will offer far more protection than it has in times past." He said the last softly. He was an agent of the Lord. God's will flowed through his hands.

The priest bowed to the man, the father was himself a middle-aged man, short and stout with an already balding head. The priest wore fine vestments with a gold crucifix attached to a necklace and a few silver rings on his fingers.

"I am Father Holzman, and you flatter me sir as I only do God's will as best I am able." The father moved to replace the holy text he had been using as he listened to Francesco. "I thank you for attempting to protect this holy place, with the will of God it will serve us well when the next attack comes. I have served in this town for twenty years now, and we have never in that time been assaulted as this before. There was one time we were besieged by monsters, but that time the Inquisition had answered our calls for assistance and sent an Inquisitor who dealt with the issue quickly. I cannot say why the magistrate's calls have not this time been answered, though perhaps some demon keeps the messages from escaping these lands." The priest now took a seat. "Some of my flock begin to think that these are the final days and that God has decided we were not faithful enough to gain redemption." The priest looked up at Francesco. "Is there anything else you would like to know sir?"

"I am called John and for now I am placing myself in the service of this towns' people. I wish to help in the most effective way I can but to do that I must know what is most required at this time. I can work metal and wood with no small skill and I have experience with arms and their use. I also can offer a strong back and pair of arms for whatever purpose may be asked of them. Of these skills which is most needed and who must I talk to about their application?"

"Praise be to God" was the reply of one of the guards, the other looked John over and nodded. "For working metal, your best bet would be to see the blacksmith. There's much work to be done there if you know how to make a weapon. There's also some efforts bein' made to repair parts o' the wall. We have all the eyes we need for the daylight guard duty. And none of us are crazy enough to be out for night duty."

[The Silence and I]

"Praise be to God" was the reply of one of the guards, the other looked John over and nodded. "For working metal, your best bet would be to see the blacksmith. There's much work to be done there if you know how to make a weapon. There's also some efforts bein' made to repair parts o' the wall. We have all the eyes we need for the daylight guard duty. And none of us are crazy enough to be out for night duty."

John listens with that same neutral expression, but his head does tilt to one side with attention.

"As I believe I saw some other mercenaries attending the walls" John indicates Manfred who has begun his work outside the gate, "I will see the blacksmith first. Where might I find his forge?"

[rhoenix]

The first entrance, from which they had come from, was easy to get to. The opening was in good repair, though it was obvious it had undergone several repairs, with a fifty foot length of palisade on either side. A large cart was on the right side of the palisade, and carried no goods on it. As Agrilos moved along the wall towards the second entrance, he noticed that there were many places along the more impromptu wall that were heavily damaged by either attack, weather, or both. There were a few points along the wall where it was clear that palisades had been up but had been recently torn down. When Agrilos reached the other opening at the river, the palisade was considerably smaller here, perhaps only 20 feet on either side. Again, there was an empty cart to one side. The fence along the more southern portion along the river was in much better repair than along the northern walls. The Southern opening was very much like the first, save that it did not look as though it had undergone extensive and repeated repairs.

Within the town itself, there were a few points where the paths were narrow enough that blockades could be put up to funnel any attackers into ambushes and traps.

As Agrilos was performing his walkthrough inspection, he couldn't help but notice the loud rumbling of the earth within the town, as well as a new moat suddenly appearing. As he was walking through the west side of the town, he saw Manfred concentrating, which confirmed his suspicions.

A smile grew on his face as he considered the possibilities - the new moat would serve nicely as a full circle of defense, allowing the town defenders to choose where to allow entrance - if this was sidestepped, archers could pinpoint where intruders were crossing the moat, and alert the others.

So, a drawbridge of some sort was required, if the interlopers were to be properly funneled into a part of town where they could be bottled up without hope of escape. This would allow them to be interrogated and dealt with properly, and at the defenders' leisure, instead of the attackers'.

So, the remaining problems were the hole in the palisade near the second entrance, and the two carts sitting in the mud, unused. The wood from the two carts should be enough to shore up the palisade, as well as make an inviting bridge to the entrance the interlopers would find easiest to use.

From there, harrying attacks from the dark in the right places, plus some flashy fireworks should be enough to herd the interlopers to the center of town, where they could be easily surrounded.

...Which left the distasteful duty of telling the Magistrate what the plans were, and gaining permission to cannibalize the carts to repair the palisades, create a bridge where Agrilos wanted the attackers to enter the town from, and make some improvements on the way there.

He'd also need to sketch up contingency plans, just in case things went terribly wrong, but given the town's layout and the man- (and woman-) power at their disposal, this shouldn't be too difficult.

With that, he walked briskly toward the Magistrate's abode once more, and knocked on the front door, as was polite. Hopefully the Magistrate wouldn't ask him to close the door this time.

[Charon]

The guardsman pointed towards John's left and indicated that the forge went straight along the road and was the only stone building along there so it couldn't be missed.

As John walked neared the forge he could see the smoke of a fire rising from the chimney stack and hear the clang of hammers on anvil. The forge itself was large enough to easily accomodate ten horses at a time for re-shoeing, with several work stations positioned around it and one great furnace in the center. Now though, there were no horses to be seen and the racks were filled with weapons of various types rather than horseshoes.

[The Silence and I]

The forge itself was large enough to easily accomodate ten horses at a time for re-shoeing, with several work stations positioned around it and one great furnace in the center. Now though, there were no horses to be seen and the racks were filled with weapons of various types rather than horseshoes.

As John catches sight of the men working at and around the forge he raises a hand to wave.

"Ho! I was passing by and I heard a bladesmith could find some work here. My name is John and I'd like to lend a hand if I can."

[Comrade Tortoise]

As Manfred continued to work, he spoke again

"Hilkarnen et killariii breston var" A pressure started to build on the walls of the moat and the embankment, compacting the earth and making it less likely collapse and fall into the moat. It would also make the embankment last longer and able to support an expanded palisade if the town ever managed to expand their defenses. An earthen wall faced by stone was a decent defense, even against gunpowder weapons... considering the cost at least.

As the moat and embankment grew Manfred considered what to do next. The moat itself would offer little protection its own, beings that could swim or were tall would only get mired in it. It would make them easy pickings, but that was no guarantee. The moat needed teeth... literally

"borekveowm taren haeck" Even as the earth was moved spikes began forming from stone within it. Of various shapes, sizes and spacings, all of which angled in such a way as to provide the maximum physical threat to anything crossing the moat. The water would serve to hide them, as well as hinder directly. Especially given the muddy nature the moat water would take on.

[The Village Idiot]

After taking the fan back from Agrilos, she again took a low curtsy. "I meant no disrespect , sir. I was merely offering a suggestion. My men will be all to willing to help. I will pass on the information." She stood and turned toward the door. She was the last one out and Visira was holding the door. She nodded her head from behind her hood as a thank you.

Nodding back as she walked through the door he began to walk along side her. "I wonder if I could have a moment alone with you, I believe we have something to talk about."

Looking around him to make sure no one was around, he kept his voice low. "You have been hiding youself well my dear, but I have felt something different about you, something you can't talk your way out of. You know what I am talking about dont you. But that does make a similarity between you and me. And I think we can help eachother, when the time comes, with satisfying certain needs."

Reaching down he took Krystynas hand and held it tightly, he could feel the flow of unlife around her and the pain inside her. Tugging slightly at the energy all around them, he pulled a bit of it to himself, sending a small wave of healing across her body and to the burns on her face.

"That should help a bit", he said with a grin. As he released her hand he could feel his hunger grow ever so slightly. It will be fine for the time being, thinking to himeslef, but a good "meal" is in order before to long.

[Rukia]

After taking the fan back from Agrilos, she again took a low curtsy. "I meant no disrespect , sir. I was merely offering a suggestion. My men will be all to willing to help. I will pass on the information." She stood and turned toward the door. She was the last one out and Visira was holding the door. She nodded her head from behind her hood as a thank you.

Nodding back as she walked through the door he began to walk along side her. "I wonder if I could have a moment alone with you, I believe we have something to talk about."

Looking around him to make sure no one was around, he kept his voice low. "You have been hiding youself well my dear, but I have felt something different about you, something you can't talk your way out of. You know what I am talking about dont you. But that does make a similarity between you and me. And I think we can help eachother, when the time comes, with satisfying certain needs."

Reaching down he took Krystynas hand and held it tightly, he could feel the flow of unlife around her and the pain inside her. Tugging slightly at the energy all around them, he pulled a bit of it to himself, sending a small wave of healing across her body and to the burns on her face.

"That should help a bit", he said with a grin. As he released her hand he could feel his hunger grow ever so slightly. It will be fine for the time being, thinking to himeslef, but a good "meal" is in order before to long.

She stopped suddenly as the man spoke to her. She looked around as he talked making sure no one saw or heard. But as he took her hand and the wave of relief washed over her she smiled. "Thank you. And whatever you may need, I would be happy to assist you. I would ask that you kept it quiet, my condition. Some of the others are already wary of my presence. This would only cause more trouble." She began to walk again.

[The Village Idiot]

She stopped suddenly as the man spoke to her. She looked around as he talked making sure no one saw or heard. But as he took her hand and the wave of relief washed over her she smiled. "Thank you. And whatever you may need, I would be happy to assist you. I would ask that you kept it quiet, my condition. Some of the others are already wary of my presence. This would only cause more trouble." She began to walk again.

"You have my word. Although, I will have just as much to fear, if not more, if I am discovered. Now if you will excuse me m'lady, I believe we should make our selves usefull before the bloodshed."

A small grin sat upon his face as he tipped his head to her and set off towards the front gates. He reached the guards at the gates just in time to see them standing quitely in awe as Manfred put the finishing touches on his moat.

[Cynical Cat]

Paul watched his master work. It was easy to think of Manfred as a pompous fool, blind to the realities of a harsh world. Then he did something like this and forcibly reminded everyone that this world of dross matter and battered flesh was like soft clay to him. He was unworldly not because he was weak or foolish, but because he could remake it as he pleased. He followed higher powers and truths.

Paul said none of this. He merely watched in awe.

[Charon]

The forge itself was large enough to easily accomodate ten horses at a time for re-shoeing, with several work stations positioned around it and one great furnace in the center. Now though, there were no horses to be seen and the racks were filled with weapons of various types rather than horseshoes.

As John catches sight of the men working at and around the forge he raises a hand to wave.

"Ho! I was passing by and I heard a bladesmith could find some work here. My name is John and I'd like to lend a hand if I can."

One large man who had been hammering away at a long nail looked up and stopped his work as John came closer. Leaving the work to one of the others the man stepped up and spoke. "Not much use for many blades, most here have no real knowledge in how to use them. But there's some armor needs fixing and plenty of other things that need doing, if you're capable."

The man was nearly as big John was, with a deep tan and short black hair. He looked younger than John, but not by much. "Come with me, we'll get you set up on something then. As the man led John towards one of the workstations the pair passed a wall that carried a few swords, but more importantly, three guns. Two matchlocks and a wheellock.

[rhoenix]

(OOC note - since I somehow completely missed this post from before, for reasons of continuity, I'll play it like Per asked Agrilos this as he was returning to the Magistrate's office. Sorry for the inconvenience SharkBait, and for any and all continuity problems because of this)

As Agrilos was walking purposefully back to the Magistrate's office, enjoying the soft breezes and the soft pattering of fresh rain, Per caught up with him, looking casually curious.

"Pardon me but might I ask you a question my friend?"

Agrilos slowed his walk, turning with a smile toward his larger companion. "Of course Per - ask away."

he began in a quiet tone making sure no others could hear him "I must ask, have you ever worked with that mage Manfred before?"

The smile on Agrilos' face turned into a smirk at the question. He paused a moment before answering. "No, I met him on the walk to this good town, just today as a matter of fact. He is..."

He paused another moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "...troubled by his power, that much is certain. Still, if placed properly, he will be an asset to us tonight, as well as in what he's doing right now - dramatically fortifying our defenses."

[Shark Bait]

The smile on Agrilos' face turned into a smirk at the question. He paused a moment before answering. "No, I met him on the walk to this good town, just today as a matter of fact. He is..."

He paused another moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "...troubled by his power, that much is certain. Still, if placed properly, he will be an asset to us tonight, as well as in what he's doing right now - dramatically fortifying our defenses."

Per rubbed his chin considering what he had seen today, "Oh I have no doubts of his powers, those he has proven to me several times today, and I have worked with magic users before, not as powerful as he, but they can turn the tide of a battle. What worries me though is as you say his placement I have noticed him losing track of time and becoming confused, it troubles me to think of what would become of us should this happen during a fight. As I'm sure you are aware at this time many members of this assembled group each have something that they are concealing, something that might just give him reason to become confused. "

[rhoenix]

Per rubbed his chin considering what he had seen today, "Oh I have no doubts of his powers, those he has proven to me several times today, and I have worked with magic users before, not as powerful as he, but they can turn the tide of a battle. What worries me though is as you say his placement I have noticed him losing track of time and becoming confused, it troubles me to think of what would become of us should this happen during a fight. As I'm sure you are aware at this time many members of this assembled group each have something that they are concealing, something that might just give him reason to become confused. "

This thought of Per's made Agrilos frown as he thought for a moment. "Well, from what I've seen, his shifts and changes are normally more personality-wise, with the confusion setting in after the fact. In a fight though, I don't think it would disorient him too much. But I agree with you in that each of us has something about themselves they're not eager to volunteer, but why do you think it would give him cause for confusion?"