In the desert again

It's now about 1810 local time.  You're all in the desert, sun sinking toward
the west.  Kraken is lying on a dune about 20 yards away, facing to the south.
Looking around, you see nothing out of the ordinary, just sand in rolling dunes as
far as the eye can see.

Mac approaches Kai and asks where are they? 

"ask yon dragon" Kai replies, sitting high i his saddle and wheeling
his steed around; "he has scouted them while i was careful never to
lay eyes on them or they on myself"

Mac walks over to Kirion and asks him, "Where are they?"

Kraken replies, "Their camp is about 10 miles in that direction."  He points
to the Southeast.  "It will take them several hours to reach our current
position."

Gwar begins to scan around seeming to get re-oriented. He speaks "Ok, I'm
going over to Kraken then I plan on scouting the immediate area to make sure 
we are not being observed, any objections?" he pauses, still scanning around.

Ten minutes pass.  It's now 1820.  Thus far you've seen nothing but sand.

Gwar asks Kraken "What kind of march order were they using?" 

Kraken answers "They were encamped.  Go look around if you like...but don't you
think that it's time to set the ambush?  Perhaps from just behind a rise?"

"Aye" Gwar replies, "I just want to orient myself, will only take a few minutes.
I'm not conditioned to just appearing someplace..." Gwar continues to look
around." Gwar adds as he starts to head out "What about hitting them 
while they are encamped?"

 "Sssince they have bows, we mussst attack from clossse range.  We sshould
use the wand to bring uss to them."

Quill utters, "We should send one person toward them.  They will not feel threatened
by one person, but a dragon might make them edgy, especially if they saw Kraken 
earlier today.  I would suggest Kai, as he is the fastest, or Dax, as he is the
least out of place here.  I would go, but they would likely recognise me, and
Thessaly has branded me a traitor."

Gwar looks over somewhat surprised at the elf and speaks "No. They should
not have ANY time to prepare." "I say Kraken flies high above their camp
and quickly dives in on it. At that point, use the wand to unleash us upon the
enemy..." " I do not want to rely on the Elves underestimating a single individual.
We must crush them with surprise and overwhelming force" "We are attacking to kill."
"No one should be left standing. If some survive then ok, but every elf should be
reduced to at least a non-combatant." 

"I will make sure of this personally....". Gwar seems to be really wanting
a fight.

Mac says, "Gwar is right. We need to act and act quickly. Either set up the ambush,
or find a way to get into their camp quickly and strike hard."  "My personal preference
is to attack them while they are not travelling. Quill, do you know the spell, body of 
shadow?" 

Quill replies,
  "I'm not much good in combat.  I can use fireballs, but they work best from
a distance.  I do not know the spell you refer to.  I expect that if any of
the elves recognise me, I will become an instant target.  I hope some of you
more experienced warriors will stay near me."

"i have proposed this before but none has responded with a method for getting the
wand unseen into their midst other than by being in their path and timing things so
we appear as they pass" quoth Kai.

In response to Dax earlier statement Kraken proclaims, "Then that's what 
we shall do, their spells notwithstanding.  And we must do it quickly....
Give us 30 minutes to arrive over their camp. Find a way to observe me in the initial
attack, and then join me. They may or may not still be encamped by then...."
	
"kraken wait" drones Kai's voice without a trace of urgency "if you would
use gwar's plan you must first return us all to the chateau and bring
yourself back with the wand else this is but a lone attack by yourself"

He turns then to Gwar and churns out "i fail to understand your rush it
seemed to me our plan was well thought out and required only some small
adjustment to the positioning combined with a mort of patience"

Back to the dragon he continues "i thought them no more than an hour off 
although they may not have begun yet their march how now do i find three or four"

Then to the group at large, he finishes "i still believe it better to take
them on the march then in their ensorcerelled camp and that we can arrange
to come upon them in complete surprise rather than even the scant warning
a flying dragon sweeping in over the dunes might excite"

Mac concludes, "I had completely forgotten about their ensorcelled camp. They had
set up wards around their camp to prevent something like this from happening."

Mac collects his thoughts, and continues "I think it best if one person remain here,
concealed and watching for them, then when they are within range, that person will get
in their path and disappear, hopefully without them seeing them. Then we reappear and
have some fun."

"this has been more or less my plan from the beginning" quoth Kai blandly "the
trick being predicting their path precisely enough to put us in the right place at
the right time"

Turning to address Mac directly, he continues "what precisely doth happen to
those who are in a location when you reappear anyway"

Mac asks the group....

"How well do you all fight in the dark? If you cannot fight well in total darkness we
need to strike now. It will be dark before they get here. And without light you will not
fight well. If that is the case we need to strike now."

"If you call cannot fight well in the dark, then I say that somebody
cast lend strength on me and I'll cast a spell on kraken that will make
him nearly invisible, if quill cannot. Then he can fly to a position for us
to ambush them in the light.

Dax:  "I prefer light to darknessss."

Manon: "Beren and I have fought both in daylight and at night.  I can vouch
for the negative impact darkness will have on our organisation.  Mine are not
cat's eyes."

Beren nods.

Quill: "I too am more effective during daylight.  I can create light for the
battle, if we need it.  I doubt all of our opponents will be accustomed to
night fighting, but perhaps more so than are we."

"My tribe is accustomed to night fighting. I have no problems with battle
at night." Gwar explains "When we strike them should be dependant upon their 
current status. When they are least prepared for battle, that's when we strike,
either day or night. Kraken should be magically masked, dive quickly into their
ranks and unleash us on them. Kraken can fly high above their position and get a
view on their status. Is there some way Kraken can communicate with us when he is
over their camp?"

Mac turns and looks at Quill,

"Do you know any spell that could make Kraken "invisible"?
 It doesn't necessarily need to be invisibility. Maybe a shadow
 or an illusion to make him appear as something ordinary in the
 desert so we could get close?"

Quill: "I can create illusions, but I know not the spell to bind them to a
creature.  They can only move on their own, under my control, so I would
need to be present to control them.  Otherwise, I'm afraid my skills are more
for enchanting than for combat."

"i'll use quill's suggestion and allow him to create a light for us" drones Kai "we
can accustom ourselves to the light he provides in your chateau while suddenly
appearing in the midst of their group with a bright glare will inconvenience them
all the more" his head bobs twice while he continues "the battle may well be over
ere their eyes adjust"

Turning to Quill, Kai blathers "i am well schooled in the inner workings of the
light and light continuous  ensorcerelments if you know only the former my idea is
of course valueless but if the second the full measure will have the effect i
suggest and if cast early you may recharge your energies ere battle is joined"

Looking speculatively at his outsized crossbow, he continues "in my day i would
cast that upon the fletchings of a quarrel which i would cover with a velvet pouch
until release and place a flare in the heart of an enemy group literally"

Quill remarks, "I can make any object glow, dimly or brightly, for a period
of several hours.  We could set up several such objects in the room in the 
chateau and bring them with us when we appear."

Manon: "Since we are agreed that we shall await them here, the only question
that remains is who shall wait, and how will they be hidden?  Meanwhile, the
rest of us must retreat to the chateau and further prepare for this battle."

Manon continues, "Kai, this is more your battle than any of us, and I trust
your judgement, but the time to act is upon us.  Decide our course of action,
and direct us in what you would have us do."

  "'tis mac's wand why not give him the duty" replies Kai, "and i still hold kraken
would be best used as a second wave   striking at the outside of their circle once
they have turned inward to deal with the rest of us"

He turns toward Mac and goes on "i would suggest taking a position just over the
crest of this dune where you can spy them out at a goodly distance as they approach
then make your best guess as to their course in time to descend to a position in
their way and return to fetch us timing things that we might appear in their midst"

Now turning to Quill, he adds "do you make what lights you may in preparation for
our assault immediately on our return that you may have ample rest"

Back to Mac he then concludes "return us all to the chateau now and fear not to pop
back to us to give us warning although we shall be all fairly prepared and awaiting
you"

Manon speaks, "Kai, would you fight mounted, or, as we will likely be in their
midst, on foot?"

"i plan to actually fight afoot but to come thru ahorse for the initial delivery"
responds Kai "i am more of a dragoon than a knight and use the horse to deliver me
to a battle more than fight atop him"

He stroke the mane of his steed for a moment before continuing "still if we come
out away from the group by some mishap i would prefer to be able to reach them
quickly which is what i ride for"

"Ok, that is the plan."
With that, Mac breaks the wand returning everybody to the chateau.
When everybody is in place, Mac bids farewell and returns to the desert.

When mac left you at the chateau, he also left all of his equipment 
and boots ready to be put back on.

At about 1830, mac leaves you once again at the chateau.  You are free to 
make any preparations necessary.

Dax loads his crossbow and places it on the ground in the summoning chamber,
ready for him to pick it up.

Quill picks up four loose stones from the neighbouring cellar, and infuses them with
magical energy, making them glow so brightly as to be painful to gaze at directly. 
He places them in the chamber, roughly forming a square.

Beren feeds and waters the horses, letting them rest for a couple of hours,
then bringing them once more into the summoning chamber around 2030.

2130 comes and no sign of Mac or Kirion.  Beren grows restless, having also 
prepared his crossbow.  Manon and Dax rest quietly, awaiting the battle.  Quill
seems withdrawn, standing in a corner of the summoning chamber, occasionally
talking to himself.

Mac returns and yells three minutes. He begins putting on his equipment and
has a few problems, he skips the leggings and runs back to the chamber. 

He is at the centre. 

Positions yourselves around him, like a clock, and report it to Steve.
Mac is the centre of the face.

The room is roughly a circle

when you appear, 12 o'clock will be facing the direction the elves are coming
from(approx. Southeast).

Quill's stones are 10 yards from centre,(at edges of room), at 2, 5, 8, and
11 o'clock.

Quill is standing at 3 o'clock, 3 yards from Mac, and has a glowing ball of
fire held in his right hand.  He faces 12 o'clock.

Dax picks up his crossbow, and stands facing the centre, 10 yards out, at
9 o'clock.

Beren mounts his horse, readies his crossbow, and sits hunched over his horse
facing 12 o'clock, 5 yards behind mac, at 5 o'clock.  Manon mirrors Beren,
at 7 o'clock, mounted and ready, holding his own crossbow at the ready.

Gwar readies his spear and shield and positions himself at 12-o-clock.
He leans over his shoulder and barks over his shoulder "We are ADVANCING, 
we are not just going to sit here." he does not look like he's waiting for a
response.

Kai positions himself ahorse at the rear (6 o'clock) position in the
room, 10 yards behind Mac, facing the two o'clock position, crossbow
ready, up to an aiming stance.  "give us a ready set go" he drones.