The Cold Draft at Jemison Post

#141

Lurtor says "SO we either have to sneak in or negotiate our way into the Cloud Slavers. Find Frost and Nuria gives her a love tap with that rod. OK. That seems the direction to go rather than fight the Ice Guards.

There should be a door I can’t open one way or another. But If these Cloud Slavers are not our enemy already, I would prefer a way to keep them neutral or bring them to our side. I don’t think a blast the door down way is best. And that is coming from me.

At worse, I guess I could impersinate one of the giants."

#142

McIvinson looked at Lurtor at that last comment and said, “If you could look like a Cloud Slaver, couldn’t you talk them into letting us in? Maybe say you are a foreign dignitary or something? Too bad I don’t know any other Cloud Slaver settlements on Refuge…”

At that moment Lurtor thought back to a pivotale moment when he had joined the Bladed Sun faith. Back in the lands now called Deryyanheim, traveling with a Bastard named Scribe, and freeing the Cloud Slavers from rule by an Asgardian Kuliek.
Since the last year, Deryyanheim had been trying to integrate the Cloud Slavers into a larger colonial community with varying results. Lurtor knew what a Deryyanheim Cloud Slaver looked like, so he could at least mimic the form.

#143

Lurtor says "Scribe has setup a colony in the Olgog lands called Deryyanheim. Scribe, who is a bastard, is trying to setup a community of Cloud Slavers and after he freed them from being ruled by an Asgardian Kuliek. That was a very enlightening trip actually. With that, I do know a few cloud Slavers that I can mimic to do that McIversion.

So what to say to them. I could tell them I’m bringing news from the south. Any other thoughts on that. Maybe we can tell them of the one who wishes to harm all including areas that would welcome them as family… Not sure.

What i know is trying to blow through them will slow us down and alert frost to our presence and won’t gain us anything. I would like to make a friend or ally of these cloud slavers. Especially if we need them to continue to keep the weather in check."

#144

McIvinson smiled and said, "Well at least the diplomatic approach may get you through the front door.

I’ll put together some diplomatic documents showing you come officially from Jemison Post as an envoy, if that helps any."

#145

Lurtor says "McIversion, that is a great idea and should help. I’ll use the form to get in the door as a messenger. Maybe bringing Grim as the representative for introduction. Then we can broach the topic of Frost using their tower to gather a frost storm to destroy all on refuge.

Any other ideas on what to do with Frost. I was thinking we should try to talk her down. Or at least I can create a distraction so Nuria can use that rod if she insists on going forward."

#146

Eli suggested “Why don’t we recruit her? We got leverage and we can offer more than Warmonger ever could.”

#147

Lurtor says “Eli, would you handle trying to recruit her. I don’t think she will listen to me? In fact, I think at first, she should only see you. I’ll stay out of immediate striking distance so I don’t blow your chances. We’ll have to have a backup plan if that doesn’t work though.”

#148

Eli took a deep breath and a shallow sip of his drink. “Talking I’m good enough at. It’s going to cost us rightly so if I do this. Going to need to give her back her “family”, Molly and the others. Uhm, do know if we still have the bodies of those gangers we killed?”

#149

Lurtor says “I didn’t final death any of them. They have to be around. I’m good if you want to give her back things to prevent a complete freeze of Refuge.”

#150

McIvinson got rather angry at the statement and replied, "Oh do they HAVE to be around? Maybe you forgot that YOU, Nuria, Grim and Eli decided not to actually try the Merc members for any crime.

In fact, my green furred friend, you all didn’t want to even accuse them of a crime, just to interrogate them.

It is one of the many things that has made being Administrator of Jemison Post a soul-sucking job. Every day I have to walk by that ice pit you threw the Frost Members in and watch them languishing. Month after month. Yes you didn’t hand them over to the Banking Guild for hanging, but you also never tried them, never even got to the bottom of IF they had committed any crimes.

So they aren’t even dead, they have just been languishing without trial for months and months.

How would you feel if you were them?"

#151

[To recap what occurred after the Frost were defeated in Mission 1 come here ]

#152

McIvinson looked over at Eli with a moment of relief and said, "You have been building up a relationship with Molly. She might be willing to vouch for us, and support what we say to her blue haired aunty.

Still in either case, whether we are talking about Molly and the Hovertrucks or the Frost Mercs, you might get some success using them as hostages to convince Belinda Frost to not unleash her storm."

They all noticed McIvinson looked sick to his stomach when he described using anyone as a hostage.

#153

Lurtor says "We have to resolve this now. Then. Too many events happening, i lost track of them. McIversion, if there is anything else like this, please bring it up immediately. The issue of being overwhelmed was why Grim and I decided we could not run day to day stuff. We are way to distracted by all the different threats and coming up with ways to ensure all are taken care of.

This isn’t a rebuke McIversion. Not resolving their status is our mistake as a whole. I’m hoping this is part of a solution. I’m open to other ideas as well. Hopefully we can prevent this from happening every again.

So for the mercs. I think first, we need to move this group to better conditions. In fact, our “Prison” in general should be in better condition. Lets set our builders to take care of this. Get our healers to check them out.

We need to finish their interrogation. Establish Crimes and Charges if they exist. Determine if we can free them with the condition that they do not act against the settlements here. This is the part I’m not sure how to handle. Maybe we offer them the place to stay like any of our other guests?

I won’t use them as hostages. But I do wish to show Frost that the are all still alive. Maybe Bring Molly to frost. Allow the other hover trucks with them. For the mercs, we’ll have to see if we can free them. And under what conditions."

#154

McIvinson said, "Lurtor I don’t know why you would think they are ALL still alive.

Only those who survived the battle walking were brought back, the ten Merc prisoners.

The remaining 14 members are unaccounted for. If it wasn’t so long ago, I’d say start checking for bodies but they are hidden under ice and snow and there will be no way to find them in such a short time.

The only dead body that was brought back was the head of Boz Frost. And nobody spoke about keeping the head, why would I keep the head?

So we have 10 of her friends not the full Merc company.

I agree we need to establish Crimes, and IF NO CRIME WAS COMMITTED, then we owe them a formal apology and some method of making it up to them financially for the year of their life we would have stolen."

Administrator McIvinson paused and said, "I have been handling so much of the day to day of Jemison Post that I have not been second guessing Grim or Lurtor’s choices. I’ve just been making sure our workers get paid, everyone had their rations of food, and that everyone is doing their daily duties around the Post.

But I will look back and see what other concerns that been left unaccounted for…"

At which point McIvinson asked, "Hey Lurtor, Grim, did you ever finalize that matter with Small Thorn and the Uthvelor Vampire you held prisoner? I mean, Small Thorn was part of the Expedition force for the Glacial Wastes, and you kinda had him take the fall for all your bad decisions on the trip over. How is he? Is he okay?

Last I heard he was being punished in your places?"

#155

Lurtor grumbles “Yeah, he did that for all of us. And I didn’t ask for you to second guess. But every time a horde of Doom wyrms comes to attack, or someone wakes the End of Worlds, hordes of Quall attack, or the Poison Claw clan attacks, I do tend to loose track of a few things that are less of an immediate threat to everyone here. There is a seaking invasion soon, I’m sure I’ll lose track of something then too.”

Lurtor takes a breath and physically tries to calm down. Then Continues "Sorry McIvinson, But all of this is too much to track by myself. I need help, I’m asking for help. And you do help. But we need to put in processes so that some things happen without us. Otherwise things like the frost crew will continue to happen. And I don’t want that.

I could be anywhere I want. I’m an artifcer who could earn an easy living just crafting. I could just stay in College learning. I have the ghaz to do that for years. But I’m here trying to build something with all here to help those who no one else would help. Help those who would be executed if we weren’t here trying to setup Jemison Post. Give a home for those who would be set to wander alone.

I believe in helping those that can’t help themselves. There has been good done here. But none of us are perfect and mistakes have been made. Lets see how we can fix those mistakes and continue to improve things and learn from those mistakes."

Lurtor then says "What do we have to do to setup the trial if needed? What are the next steps. I’ll go with others to talk to the Mercs and figure out things. But lets also figure out what needs to be done with our Refuge freezing problem. "

#156

“It’s been a busy couple of months,” frown Eli.

“We’re being played like pawns. First, I got some mercs to talk to. Then I’m going to search for the rest of the bodies. Going to get 'em and I’ll be back to have a talk with Frost.”

#157

Lurtor says “Ok, we will get you in to talk to her.”

#158

Nuria sat with her elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands. “So all I gotta do is give Belinda Frost a tap with that stick?”

#159

McIvinson said, "From the reports that I have reviewed of the battle against Pelonius, it was that rod that disabled the IceGuard army. So it should work again in this instance.

But getting close to Belinda Frost is going to be a lot harder than just giving someone a tap with a rod.

She is a powerful Aquamancer, and will be able to create ice walls and igloos to trap you outside of reach if she can. You will need both mobility and enough heat to melt through those walls. You will also need some plan to prevent her goons from just grabbing you, or cutting you down."

#160

Lurtor says "This only really Ends well if Eli can talk Frost down. Otherwise it will get bad quickly.

hmmm, a plan for the goons. I wonder. Could I throw down an Air and water ward strong enough to stop the spell if things go worse? I guess I could artifice something that when its opened, the ward spreads out. That would at least buy time in the worse case. Maybe target Air and water leyas. I could add shadow and while it will limit them, that will limit Grim and I. So no to shadow ward.

Also not sure what a ward would do to the area she is in.

I could not take both of her guards alone. Too much for me. Well, if I got desperate I could, but it wouldn’t be very legal in some eyes and I would hate myself in the morning. So some way of disabling the guards would be needed if we had to act."