Runelords 27.2 - The Second Meeting

"Is the incoming army, due in Sandpoint in five days, coming for the purpose of utilizing the physical structure of the lighthouse itself?" - No
"If the aforementioned army is met with no resistance and no civilians, will they destroy the buildings and/or land of Sandpoint?" - Yes
"Once the aforementioned army has control of the lighthouse, is it going to remain in permanent or semi-permanent occupation of the town?" - No
"Does the obedience and goal-oriented focus of the aforementioned army depend significantly on the commands and direct influence of the creature we know as the 'lamia's sister'?" - No 
"Will evacuating the citizens of Sandpoint to the hinterlands, away from the path of the army, prevent their deaths at the hands of the army?" - Yes 
"Will evacuating the citizens along the south lost coast road into the hinterlands keep them safely away from the army's path of approach?" - Yes 
"Does the army that will invade Sandpoint in five days number 100 or more individual bodies?" - No
"Does the aforementioned army consist most significantly of nonhumanoid living mortals?" - No
"Will the destruction of both bridges into sandpoint, along with fortification of the land entrance, significantly impede the army's ability to enter the town?" - No
With the final question, the smell of incense faded from the room and Luna blinked, coming out of the trance that the Commune spell had put her in. Those assembled looked between each other, else down at the table in front of them, but for that moment, silence reigned. Looks of resignation, desperation, and determination were seen in equal measure. In the town hall, seated around a table to discuss the town's fate, were eleven people: the mayor, the sheriff, the Mother, Ameiko Kaijitsu, Brodert Quint, Shadliss Vinder, Aldern Foxglove and the four heroes of the Swallowtail Festival. It was the mayor that spoke first, "That was the last of the questions?"
Luna nodded, "Yes."
"And I don't have any more scrolls," Virgil added.
The sheriff straightened, "Alright. Let's review." He gestured forcefully as he spoke, "We know that the army is coming by land. We know that they number less than one hundred, and that they aren't going to be slowed by the river. We know that they aren't coming specifically to kill, but they are going to destroy everything our fathers have built here."
"The most important thing is evacuating," Mother Zantis interjected. "Buildings can be remade. Churches might burn down, but as long as the congregation lives, there will always be another building."
"I agree with the Mother," Mayor Deverin said with a nod. "Our highest priority must be protecting the people."
"Our priority is protecting the town," Sheriff Hemlock stressed. "Don't get me wrong: I want everyone safe just as much as you. But if everyone's homes are burned down, well, we don't have much of a town, do we? People will leave, migrate to family in Medinipur or further, and won't come back. If we don't stop this army now, Sandpoint is destroyed, even if no one dies." Ameiko nodded firmly, agreeing with Hemlock's sentiment. 
Virgil drummed his fingers together thoughtfully, chewing on the end of a pencil, before stating, "We have two separate problems: how to evacuate a town in four days or less, and how to defend from an unknown invasion force. We have to do both, because you're both right." He gestured towards Kendra and Astala, "Protecting people is the highest priority. We don't want loss of innocent life." Turning towards Belor and Ameiko, he added, "But if we let them run rampant and destroy everything the people of Sandpoint have worked and lived for, we've failed." Everyone nodded. "With that in mind, we need a coordinated evacuation procedure to make sure that no one is left behind, and that everyone is safely down the south road as fast as possible. The farther everyone is away, the more likely they'll be safe. If the gods have any mercy, this will be over quickly and people can return to their homes in a few days."
"As long as they have homes to return to..." Ameiko said darkly. 
Virgil nodded, but continued speaking without skipping a beat, "We need to organize the townsfolk, arrange a route and ensure that people are following it." He waved his hands about animatedly as he spoke, pencil still in hand, "There needs to be an muster point, and a plan for what to do afterwards, especially if there is significant damage to town structures. The people need a place to go." 
Mother Zantis mentioned, "We will need support from the city. There will be losses and damages; we'll need aid to rebuild what is lost, and to relocate while the attack is underway."
"That's true," the mayor agreed, and more than one person looked meaningfully towards Foxglove.
Glancing about, Aldern cleared his throat and offered, "Well, I can't personally recoup the potential losses of the town, but I will certainly do everything that I can. I will petition the lord-mayor for aid, at the very least." This gained him several nods of approval. 
Virgil interjected, "Write a letter explaining what's happening and requesting aid based on the situation once it's clear. Send it out as soon as possible; it's not like any help would come from Medinipur before the attack happens, and it's not like we're going to get any aid until there's been an actual attack."
"Perhaps he should go himself?" the mayor suggested. "It's more likely to get things done than just a letter, and the Mother is right: we'll need support to get through this."
Virgil replied quickly, "Well, considering the town is going to be extremely short-handed on defenders as it is, we're probably better off he goes after the fighting is over, not before it starts."
"Surely the help Mr. Foxglove might be able to bring us from the state is much more valuable than one additional body?" Mother Zantis questioned.
"We won't get that financial help until after the battle," Virgil stressed, "and every defender we don't have is going to translate into another destroyed home or business." 
"Agreed," Belor nodded. 
There were some meaningful glances shot between some, obviously doubting. Virgil sighed, "Aldern, go wherever you think you'll be most useful." Aldern looked thoughtful and nodded. "At any rate, Mayor, Mother: you're the two most qualified to organize the town. You two take who you need, and keep the rest of us posted on the progress and if you need something done. Meanwhile, Sheriff, Ameiko: you both have combat experience, and that's all we have," he said as he gestured towards himself, Khyrralien and Eamon with his pencil, "so we have to find a way to defend the town." There were nods of acceptance among the town leaders at this. Virgil continued, "If the Commune is to be believed and the army won't be impacted by destroying the bridges, then there's little sense in taking them down. We'll have to think of something else. We're fighting an army of less than one hundred, the majority of which are not monsters, but still aren't affected by a moat. That means we're looking at..." he paused to chew on the pencil end, thinking, "...magical constructs, or extraplanars. Humanoids would be hindered by the river...unless they're all mages, or it's some sort of finicky hair-splitting situation where the majority are humans, riding on the drake minority. Regardless, with a force of less than one hundred, we're looking at a small number of high-powered individuals. Sheriff, how many town guards are there?"
He replied firmly, "Right now, twenty. We had some new recruits after the two attacks, and some of the reinforcements from Medinipur are still here."
Nodding, Virgil said, "Alright, not bad, considering we're fighting ninety-nine or less. The problem is that whatever is coming isn't relying on numbers. It's either skill or magic, and in either case, I don't want green guardsmen trying to take on something like that hand-to-hand. Decent archers are what I'm thinking. We know they're headed towards the lighthouse, and will be coming from somewhere away from the south road. We will need to decide where to draw the line, and defend from there at a distance. Make a perimeter, load it with archers, and have the most skilled of us draw out their mages or whatever else poses the biggest threat. Skill has to be fought with skill, and magic with magic." As he said that, he turned and looked pointedly at Quint. The eyes of the others in the room followed suit.
The wizard, who had been sitting and minding his own business, looking almost bored for the most part, glanced between everyone when he noticed that they were looking at him. After a tense moment, he harumphed, "Oh, all right. Twist my arm. It's not like I want to see the town destroyed. I'll cast whatever you need." He crossed his arms, "But none of that fireball nonsense! I don't cast evocations, and I'm not about to start now."
"Noted! We appreciate your help," Virgil said brightly. "That means, in terms of trained combatants, we have most of the people standing in this room, and twenty guardsmen of various experience." He paused and pulled out a small tube, laying out scrolls of prepared spells. He selected one and held it up, "I have one scroll of Sending. Do any of us know anyone that could be of help in four days or less?"
"Shalelu," the sheriff said firmly. "She shouldn't be too far from the town; she'd lend aid." Virgil nodded in agreement.
"Do you know anyone, Virgil?" Eamon asked, voice stern with the gravity of the situation. The other man turned and looked slightly confused, prompting Eamon to continue, "A few days ago, you said you called an archmage to deal with the artifact in Turtleback. We could certainly use an archmage now."
"We only have the one scroll," he said quickly, ignoring the pointed attentions of the others in the room.
Ameiko remarked, "An archmage would be very useful right about now."
"Couldn't...couldn't you copy it out and cast it more than once?" Luna asked towards Quint.
The wizard shook his head dismissively, "Sending is evocation. I thought you might know that, but, not a lot of people realize. It is something of a mistake of physics, I agree."
"And you won't make an exception in this case?" the mayor asked of him.
Still shaking his head, he shrugged, "If you want to go and rewrite the laws of magic, be my guest. I'd love to cast Sending. But as it is, it's evocation, and I can't."
"You can't," Kendra said flatly.
"I can't," he said, tone equally unamused.
The mayor sighed, "Alright. One casting. Mr. Miro, do you know anyone who might be able to help more dramatically than Shalelu?" 
Virgil chewed his pencil, thinking deeply. Eventually, he took the stick out of his mouth and said, slowly and evenly with a distant gaze, "I know exactly three people who might be considered adventurers. Just three, no more. One of them is at Turtleback, dealing with the highly unstable artefact we found in their dam before it kills everyone. He refuses, absolutely refuses, to get involved with political affairs. If this is an act of war on the behalf of...a cult leader, then it's political. He won't help. That's that. The other two...both are more than a few weeks away, and I can't guarantee that they'd have a way to teleport here in time. One is in Tinoco, the other would have a two-week boat ride." 
"Boat. Boat!" Luna said quickly, interrupting. "Why don't we evacuate people by boat? It's easier to shelter people there short-term, and we know they aren't coming by sea."
There were nods around the table, and the mayor said, "Yes. I'm sure most of the wealthy families will load their goods on their boats and flee. We can charter some of the docked merchant vessels to carry the old and ill, who couldn't make a land trip." She spoke decisively, though was obviously carefully considering her thoughts before she said them aloud, "The way I see it, we will shelter everyone with need on local ships. The rest will either take refuge in the farms, or move towards Medinipur. The farms might not be safe, but from what we've learned from the gods, they're certainly safer than here. The people can decide how far they want to flee; that's their decision. As long as everyone is out of town, we can only pray it's far enough." She added at the end, "We'll send a messenger to the farms tonight to let them know what is happening."
The sheriff was more concerned with other matters, "So, we should call Shalelu?"
Virgil considered deeply before nodding, "With only one casting, it's better to call the person that we're sure can get here."
The sheriff nodded, "Agreed. Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." There were some other nods around the table. Belor declared, "Good. Mayor, Mother, you start with the evacuation proceedings. I'm going to go rally the guards. There's going to be bedlam over the next few days, and I won't have people getting hurt before the fighting even starts. Ms. Kaijitsu, take the adventurers, and start assessing our defenses. There aren't many, not if the river isn't helping. I hope you can do something about that," he said towards Quint, "because Sandpoint was never built for attack." 
Brodert muttered, "I'm a wizard, not a miracle worker..." 
The sheriff spoke over him without hearing, "If we have four days now, the plan should be to have all citizens evacuated to safety by the third night, to give us one day to get in position and check for stragglers. We have three days to evacuate, fortify and plan." 
Mother Zantis inclined her head, "May Yoma shield us in this dark hour..." Category:Rise of the Runelords