The Border Patrol
 "When the other soldiers of Zhalfir fall, the askaris will yet stand." |
| "When the other soldiers of Zhalfir fall, the askaris will yet stand." |
The askaris are a special order of soldiers sworn to patrol the borders, defending against magical or military dangers. Normally, they would come to a city as large as Tefemburu only on leave, or to report a great threat of invasion. However, ever since the border cities were sacked, the askaris have been a crucial part of the retreat, scouting out Kaervek's positions, guiding refugees through dangerous terrain, and harrying Kaervek's supply lines.
The askari commander does not keep military discipline: he arrives late to your summons, and forgets to salute. He also brings a robed junior officer whom he neglects to introduce. You remember the commander's courage during the retreat from Ufunguo, though, and forgive his lapses. The askaris may never shine like Zhalfir's knights, but they are twice as quick and half as proud.
When you ask for his advice, the askari commander considers for a moment before answering. "Well, our forces have suffered greatly since the first days of the invasion. On the field, we can't match your knights, Sidar. However, our battlemages are still strong, and they have a few tricks that they'd like to tell you about," he says, nodding to his robed friend.
The wizard steps forward and says, "My name is Eliko of the Red Lance, and I have been an askari battlemage for two years. As you know, the Armorer Guildmages are close allies of our order; sadly, the Armorer Guildhall at Ufunguo was overrun and none of the guildmages have been seen since. My first recommendation is to use the askaris to search for the Armorer Guildmaster. If we could find him or his followers, they could perhaps fashion weapons and armor for the refugees. That way, we could field a large militia, or at least help the refugees defend themselves.
"If that isn't enough, we can call together mages of each of the guilds and pool their power to summon our battlemagics. We could create an immense lightning cloud to strike down Kaervek's troops by the thousands. We might suffer a few casualties ourselves, but even so, the effect on the enemy would be devastating.
"If summoning the spirits of thunder seems too dangerous this close to the city and the refugees, we could ride out with a small detachment and call a rock slide down on Kaervek's army at the Tefemburu Bridge. We askaris could certainly outflank Kaervek's raiders. With the vast reserves of mana we command, the riverbank will tumble down and destroy any undead near it. With any luck it will wash the bridge away with it. In fact," he says, his voice rising, "if we had enough time for gathering, we could certainly destroy most of his army--but we would destroy most of the city as well."
The young man smiles; he seems quite content with his scheme of mass destruction. His commander, though, is pacing and frowning down at the floor. "We cannot destroy what we mean to save, Eliko," says the askari leader. "I am surprised you even offer such nonsense for the sidar's consideration. My apologies for his rashness, Sidar. Continue, Eliko."
The battlemage clears his throat and stutters as he tells you his last plan. "Finally, there's a trick we try with the hill tribes sometimes," he says. "A leader with a great deal of pride may fall for it. We challenge the enemy to present a champion to fight in single combat," says the commander. "If they agree, we have our battlemage summon the minotaur Old And Dusty, a Talruum champion. Their champion never stands a chance. Perhaps Kaervek himself would agree to a demonstration of strength."
The veteran commander thanks his battlemage and turns back from his pacing. "I await your orders, Sidar."