9:00 AM

To Gilda's immense surprise, she finds herself enjoying a rather fine breakfast as the morning sun shines in through the windows of the Lucky Bastard. To her even greater surprise, she had actually managed to get a few hours of sleep earlier this morning. After her family's retainers had presented themselves at the town borders and revealed that they'd wiped out most of the Domain's patrols watching Grassbrook directly, the pressure on the town's defenses had eased significantly. The Domain certainly has the strength to roll over the barely-more-than-a-village any time it likes, but it would seem it did not like to do so the previous night, and at this stage the noblewoman takes what she can get.

Unfortunately, it's not long before duty calls. Raylin pokes his head into the tavern's semi-private room, and grabs her attention. "The ah...'war council' has gathered, dear. Are you ready to get back to it?"

Gilda sighs before taking one last bite of her eggs. "Not as much as I'd like to be, but I suppose we must. In the name of duty."

The pair make the trip to the war council chambers, a trip of all of twenty-five feet as they make their way to a room designed to host small private parties. At the moment, the population of the chamber numbers five - Gilda and her husband, Nalina Evervein, representing the 'elite forces' of the town's defense, the mysterious Prince Thaddeus, representing the bulk of the militia, and Renter Forst, who had emerged as a leader of the more well-trained Challengers who had volunteered to defend the town. The common-born Tracker with his basic armor and ragged leather hat is rather the odd one out in this current gathering, considering everyone else present is of the nobility, but if anything the man seems to be the most relaxed of the five.

This is no time to be playing politics though, and so Gilda simply gets down to business as she sits at the head of the table, with Raylin taking the chair to her side. "Good morning, everyone - and good morning indeed, as I wasn't certain last night if we'd still be free men and women by time the dawn came. I appreciate all of you for your services in helping with that, given that I'm aware that all of you volunteered, without any obligation to take up this duty."

The dwarven Nalina looks slightly aghast. "I wouldn't say that, my lady! We could hardly leave you to suffer down here without aid. Heavens, how would I face your father if we'd fled, or hidden in that hole with those damned Scarlet Eagles? I'm glad we were able to be of service, though."

The half-elf gives her a smile. "I do appreciate your loyalty, but I'm not about to pass judgment on anyone making either of those choices. I did send my own sister north, after all. But now that you're here, let's focus on what's at hand. Prince Thaddeus, anything to report concerning the town's defenses?"

The raven-haired man nods as he begins. "The defenses, such as they are, are sturdier than they may look at a glance. Part of that is due to your own efforts, Lady Highbranch - the trap runes you placed around town will certainly come in handy, not to mention the fireproofing ones you added. On top of that, the lucky charms once gracing this establishment's walls have been distributed to the militia, with everyone getting one or two, which is about as many as can be effective at one time. It won't have them slaying dragons, but it will allow them to punch above their weight class in a fight."

Before anyone can get too cheerful about his report, Thaddeus's tone shifts. "That said, the overall picture hasn't much changed. Thanks to Nalina's reinforcements, the total number of combatants defending the town comes to, if I'm not mistaken, fifty-eight. Mostly Challengers or retired Challengers of Expert-tier or below, along with a few locals who've decided to put up a fight. We can defend against probes or scouts, but when a serious attack comes we'll be lucky to last a few hours. If things stretch out then it gets worse, as we've already had to start letting squads rest in shifts. Twenty people at a time is barely enough to watch every approach, given the lack of permanent defenses."

"It's still a better picture than we had twelve hours ago, so I'll take what good news I can." Gilda turns to Renter next, the man formerly of the Association's inspection team. "Mr. Forst, I understand you've had some of your people doing scouting of their own? How do things look for the locals who haven't taken shelter in the town?"

The man grunts. "Well, ain't easy to get a full view of things in the dark and when people are bunkering down in their cellars, but it could be worse. We'd reckon maybe a fifth of the local families have taken the road north. The rest are pretty much layin' low and hopin' for the Domain's mercy which, oddly enough, they actually seem t'be gettin'. Didn't find a single sign of nobody attacking any of the farms, and it ain't like any of em got any defenses worth speaking of. A couple old men with their grand-pappy's sword or axe, maybe one or two who know a bit of combat magic. But seems like the scaly bastards have left em alone, at least for now."

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"Let's hope it remains that way. If we bring them into the town we're just making them a target, so we'll have to hope that mercy holds. What of the fort? How is the army doing?"

This time, Renter takes a deep breath before answering. "Well, to be clear, we don't know exactly. Virtually all of the Domain in the area are in that direction, so our scout and ranger-types couldn't get too close. Flynn was able to do a fly-by with his companion hawk for a bit...until they shot the poor thing down." He shakes his head. "Rest in peace, Yellowtail."

Gilda blinks as the man lowers his head. "...A brave sacrifice. But did...Yellowtail manage to...report anything useful?"

"Well, again, this ain't entirely for certain. But I think the fort's fallen."

That statement causes a loud stir from the other four people present. Of them, Nalina is the loudest. "What do you mean, fallen? Why didn't you start with that, you oaf!?"

"Cause we ain't got much to go on! The fighting seems to have stopped, and Flynn says he might have seen the main gate busted down, but he didn't get a good look through his hawk's eyes before they got the thing. But I can confirm for sure that the sound of fireballs an' shit died down about an hour ago."

The half-elf taps a finger against the table. "...Have any soldiers from the garrison made an appearance?"

Renter shakes his head. "Not from the direction of the fort, no. Last we've heard the dungeon checkpoint is still being manned, but they stopped patrolling the road sometime last night."

Raylin grits his teeth. "The fort had proper walls and defenses, and the total garrison size was, what...a hundred and twenty? Not all of them were in the fort last night, but it was still far more defensible than the town. And it didn't even last the night?" He rubs the bridge of his nose. "In that case we probably need to prepare for them to move here very shortly. We need a plan for when that happens."

While Gilda considers her response, Prince Thaddeus speaks up. "Not to set myself and my team apart from the rest of the town's defense, but I feel the need to state that should the town's defenses no longer be tenable, my party intends to evacuate to the dungeon. We'll give you what support we can, but defending the dungeon is our primary concern, for...personal reasons."

The Undeniable Spear furrows her brow at the Undeniable Blade. "What!? First off - if you plan to evacuate the town, why aren't you doing that now? If you wait until the town's on the verge of collapse, you'll never make it back there!"

Thaddeus appears unconcerned. "We have a number of enchanted items to help with that, and more importantly, my wife is an accomplished illusionist. In fact, we're willing to escort others to the dungeon as well when the time comes. We can't take the entire town - unless we did do it now, before the noose tightens around us - but we could certainly take a small group."

Nalina continues. "Aside from that, what makes the dungeon so bloody important to you?"

"Let's just say we have family in the dungeon, and leave it at that. That said, is there anyone here who does intend to make the defense of Grassbrook a final last stand?"

There's a moment of silence at that, as no one wants to emphasize just how hopeless their situation is. Eventually, Gilda does speak up. "When it is clear that the town can no longer be held, I intend to offer a peaceful surrender, to spare the lives of the remaining townfolk. I...would like to request that you take Raylin with your team when you depart however, Prince."

That triggers angry shouts from both her husband and Nalina. "Don't be mad, love! If anyone should buy someone time to escape, it should be me for you!"

The dwarf nods. "You'd put yourself into the hands of that dragon asshole? Over my dead body!"

"No!" This time when Gilda speaks, it's with iron in her voice. "In fact, consider this an order - it is my responsibility to see to the safety of my people. Nalina, it is your responsibility to see to Raylin's, and Raylin...if something should happen...Arlina will need you."

It's obvious that both of them want to argue further, but when one combines Gilda's noble rank with her infamous stubborn streak, it's a fight that seems as hopeless as the defense of the town. Besides, with matters so urgent, they hardly have time to spend retreading the topic.

In fact, far less time than they may have expected.

Just as Nalina finishes calming herself, a member of the militia taps on the door to the room. Poking his head in, he catches Gilda's eye. "My lady, there's - there's a demon. Came up to one of the barricades under a flag of truce, say she's here to speak to you."

Raylin turns towards his wife. "A trap, do you think? An attempt to draw you out?"

"The Domain's known for many an evil, but they respect the terms of truce. That said, no reason to go unguarded. Nalina, gather your team, and I shall bring Sweet." Gilda rises from her feet. "Prince Thaddeus, Mr. Forst, continue to oversee the defenses in the event that this is the prelude to an assault. Somehow, I doubt she's here to say anything we want to hear..."

As Gilda steps around the barricade and gets a good view of the succubus, she has to admit that the demon at least looks like someone many of the defenders wouldn't mind getting an eyeful of. She wears the robes of a mage, but not the garb of a typical Domain battlemage. Instead the thin garment looks more like something that wouldn't be out of place at one of her father's balls, and there's certainly more red-skinned cleavage on display than normally would be considered safe for a battlefield. Her black hair is also far too perfect, as if she'd just had it styled, which seems rather unlikely given what it must have taken for her to have gotten here today.

Still, it's not exactly surprising to see a good-looking succubus, even here, and so Gilda focuses on maintaining a professional tone. "Greetings. I am Lady Gilda Highbranch, and I rule over these lands in the name of my father, the Duke. I'm told that you wished to speak to me?"

The succubus bows, and it's surely not an accident that she gives everyone a good look down her robes as she leans down. "I am honored to meet you, Lady Highbranch. My name is Cerise Darktouched, and I am an Emissary of the Dragonlord. I am here to discuss the terms of your surrender."

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