#earthrunes

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Coradel feels almost as if she has waited long enough since sending the others out. Logically she knows getting an Audience can take hours. Logically she knows it maybe very hard to convince the Duchess and Duke to even consider shifting their hands off approach to intrude very directly. Logic would dictate many things- She's a sidhe, not a damn vulcan. So logic isn't helping much right now. Bad enough her own heart should be in such turmoil, that her greatest contribution is to feel the Baron dying through their link in the balefire. It's like holding a writhing broken animal in your hand and being unable to help. Even in his sleep, he knows some pain.

It is then when Lenora calls out, "Baroness! We have a problem!"

She frowns. No...she was already frowning. "What is it?" She goes to meet the other Fiona.

"It's Jennette, she's freaking out," Leonora says from the hallway where she is bracing the Beaumayn. /Jennette is rocking back and forth "The wall wall of night crumbles, the wall of night crumbles and the nightmares come... they can get to it! They can get to it! If they can get to it they can escape the crusade of justice. they can terrorize the land that knows no sovereign."

thistlesnort is worried. he has licked her! It does nothing!

Her eyes go wide, and she grabs Jennette by the shoulders. "Get to it? The Bale?" She looks back to Leonora. "What wall does she mean?"

"I don't know," Leonora says, "I've heard Beaumayn have visions, but this looks to be a bad one."

"SNUFF the flame on the way to the escape. '

That last from Jennette, blathering a bit more "the secret.is.out.'

"Jennette! What wall and how do we fix it?" She shakes the Beaumayn, then turns to Leonora. "Go alert the Thanes...we're under attack."

"Jennette, how are they approaching? Through the trods? By mortal roads?"

"From the rotteed skin they pour through the fruit, now that the ..." A gasp, "The fatebender can't save us anymore."

Leonora breaks into a run, and thistlesnort breaks into a baying howl behind her

"To arms! To arms!"

"No...no he can't." And she LONGS to go the Baron's side, but that's not where she's needed. Quick mental inventory: Dame Nansaidh is with Sparrow and Magnus, away. Dammit. Sir Neachdainn, Dame Agincourt, the Thanes....

Dame Agincourt, as the call goes out, is pulling up the siege weapons....

"Jennette, tell me what else I need to know, or get on your feet and help us fight."

And somewhere a young girl just recently aware she was sidhe sees folks running towards the Armory. She maybe small, she maybe new! But she will fight! Something her blood was born, Catir tells herself, for this very moment! Folks will need healing monsters need hunting. She will be on that field"//"No you don't, " Dame Claire picks her up and puts her in her room starting to lock it. Catir fumes in a true tantrum "If I turn out to be a baroness or something you are SO in trouble for having me abandon my liege" //"Yes, Mistress probably a falcon, I'm aware there's a good fonging on the way" A click of a latch and an angry child locked in safe

Jennette rises, "Hopewind wind's lady flies even now towards..." A gasp, Jennete says " Firnost. They're not after here, not for long. They want...the hold is just in the way, they'll destroy it for spite, but they've lost everything. This hold is a way out now." She shakes her head "We just have to keep them from taking the path to all paths. That much I know. it's facding , the vision...that's all I have."

"So...two targets. Need to defend the Bale and the Trod. Dammit." She helps Jennette to her feet and then turns and rushes to the Balefire, hoping Leonora has gathered people there.

In Nansaidh's caddy, Sparrow urges the dame drive faster...

(In the Caddy) "Baroness, I assure you I am going as fast as I can..." Magnus is texting

Sir Neachdainn is calling out near the balefire, "Dame Agincourt is preparing the siege weaponry, Baroness. Dame Leonora is oft assembling archers ...and I? I took the liberty of taking out something from the treasury for our use here." He holds up a bag "Dragon teeth. Should I plant them now or later?"

She shakes her head at Neachdainn. "Not yet. Good thinking, though."

"Jennette, go to Dame Agincourt and tell her of the two objectives, the Bale and the Trods."

Jennette breaks into a run to let the boggan know of the two fold targets. Folks gather around turning to the Baroness, the very new, Baroness for inspiration. Frankly, even some of the thanes look worried. The servants? Scared shitless

She nods at the bag of teeth. "How long will those take to work?"

"Ten minutes? I think. The Baron would know but he's not there."

She nods. "Ask me again in five minutes." Then she looks at the gathered, anxious faces. "This is not what we expected, not so soon. But we are hardly ill-equipped, we are not without skills or strengths. Pennons left us with some of the finest fighters in Concordia to defend this Barony. This is likely to be an ugly battle...but Thallain can be defeated. These Thallain WILL be defeated, and the Barony of EarthRunes shall stand!"

"Earthrunes will stand!" Someone says, then another, then another... and the chant works them up, with questions of "We are with you! We are with you!" And more level headed but still inspired "Give the word! "Tell us what to do"

She scans the crowd for Bachdion.

And sees Bachdion has ...vanished. litteraly, in their time of need, he ran?

Never. He wouldn't. She is absolutely certain of that. But she cannot turn to him at the moment, so she wastes no time thinking about it. "If you can fight, find your weapons, or borrow from the armory. Those who are skilled in cantrips and resourceful enough to use them in battle, prepare yourselves. If you can affect the abominations directly, do so. Otherwise, do what it takes to slow them down, create obstructions, or confuse them. The foe seeks our Balefire, but they also seek access to the trod to Firnost...the trod to all trods. Some must go and defend that path. In the worst case, that rath must be destroyed before they can access it."

(Outside in the car) "Oh crap." Magnus hisses. Three Ogres are on the road.

"What, do you attract these things?" he asks his sister?

"And if you have any outside friends, and can reach them for help, call them in!"

"Who decided to call me Ogresbane? Names have power, brother-mine. Hope that mace is handy.... I've called Rivervale and August...."

Coradel wistfully wishes she hadn't left her phone on her bedside table.

(Outside)"I was told to mention that and..." He blinks, "Dame? Are you about to run over an ..." The poor car clips an ogre and tries to drive on past!

"Ha! You go, Nansaigh!"

In the hold, Coradel asks, "Who's with the Baron right now?"

Coradel's orders are obeyed without question, with great haste. There are mutters about how Firnostians may never realize how their asses are being saved.

And Inish answers Coradel "Shalimar won't leave his side. I can try to make him but.." A shrug

"No, I need him there. More importantly, the Baron needs him there. Dammit...somebody get Dame Jennette back here, or at least get a report from her about how many Thallain she saw."

"My Baroness, "A voice from the master of hawks, "I have sent out a raven, less noticable than hawks and good spies. It tells me...there are many" The Varich lowers his voice "We are badly badly out numbered."

(Outside) "Someeone is paying for that dent" The Gwydion lady curses... then another ogre rips off her bumper... "And for that." A goblin fires at them, bullets striking..."I think they hit the fuel line." "Great, " Magnus says

"That...was not what I wanted to hear. But fine. Target-rich environment." She gives an encouraging grin. "Have your hawks been taught how to fight as well as hunt? And your hounds?"

Sparrow texts furiously - Colton, Morthwyl, Jude....

Hell - Dio and Lira.