Walker of the Path - Chapter 2

[SoronelHaetir]

FEL,

I am a bit surprised by Toby changing back just yet, if he returns to being human wouldn't it make things that much more difficult in regard to getting Umbra [pregnant after she delivers? (Actually I had been half expecting that Toby would end up remaining arcan, (with the Shadow Fox' blessing or even encouragement) based on little more than the throwaway comment about how Umbra is crazy about him and the fact that Toby has so thoroughly tossed his lot in with the arcans anyway that it seems unlikely that he would be welcome in human lands afterward (plus of course the human lands are going to be a place of misery for a long while). And it seems like it would be a definite advantage to be arcan instead of human for those who withdraw to Haven at the end of the war.

[SYED]

i AGREE THAT that it would take time for a proper army to be sent, also, for the local forces to accept that the arcan are a true threat, and accept they need to met as an actual military threat. The thing is he attacked the kings own property, his ancestral vacation home. That is sure to make him furious. SO while he might not send the army that he has in the field, he might send what forces he does have out of sheer anger. on the other hand, it is a big bold move, it might encourage those in the country side to seek the safety of the cities and towns. They might even take their arcans. that way it is easier to free the arcans in abandoned plantations, or they will be easy to free as the majority will be in the same location.
Most of the domesticated arcans are simply better for the army's supply and logistics. It might have a smaller actual fghting force, but what they do have will be adaquate by sheer numbers.

He does not want to confuse them, by introducing them all to so many weapons. What if he introduces a group to one item, say shockrod, and simply have them dedicated to that weapon? They carry and maintain them. They have a limited life space as they drain crystals, and how many crystal can they expect to steal so they wont be able to ensure they are all armed and supplied for the arcan, but a small group of them can continually fight with them, and be responsible for hteir transport.

It will be a very bloody war, especially for the freed arcans, they will have more losses than the other army, at least in the beginning. Hopefully at some point, they have the weapon or numbers to ensure their vistory. their speed will be a huge reason for their success, it will allow them to out manover human forces and reactions. It is likly most of their mobile forces were sent to the north, as they would expect alot o movement necessary here.

Idea for a new tactic: Kyvern shadow fox form was an ambush predator, and he could easily climb trees. So set up groups of arcans that include good tree climbers. Most human would not expect attacks from above in forests. It could be very useful. They might watch the trees aound them as they travel, but imagine them dropping down from above, it is raining arcans.

We know the king of carin is going to buy arcans, with the conflict in flaur, would they be more eager to sell arcans to ensure they dont loose them in the battle. the arcan might be taking supplies and burning stuff, they are not robbing people, so they might be eager to have the additional funds. The king of flaur will need alot of money what with the conflict and damage from the insurrection, so he might encourage a general sale. No arcans in the area, harder for the army to grow. the thing is i successful, surely alamar and geovan will be warned about the arcan forces, so would be far more prepared. Will kyvern be revealling to the humans how he is going to burn all of alamar to the ground.

by causing so much trouble, they might force the locals to do a deal with the loreguard. it is the only military force apart from carin, that os not stuck fighting over crystals.

Will the shaman srnd a message to the masked to escape the war? it is better if the few allies in human lands are preserved. get them to go to carin, then arrange after the war for them to be instrumentale in the reconstruction effort. That way the shaman can guide the humans onto a better path.

[MartinK]

After it becomes obvious that the army of arcans thats attacking me grows by freeing enslaved arcans the first step would be to pull back all slaves where the attacking army either can't lay their hands on them - be it because its not big enough to attack a city or by forcing them to go somewhere else - or simply killing all those arcans before they can be freed and become part of that army.

The only reason those killings will be delayed are that the humans can't or won't believe that there's actually an army of arcans attacking them and because they see the monetary value in their arcans and will rather sell them to make them someone else's problem than killing them - thus many will end up in carin instead of dead. But at one point the humans will start killing all arcans they find, including the enslaved ones. I wonder how the free arcans intend to stop that from happening? Are they only hope to get through the human territory fast enough, are they hoping that their deal with the king of carin will abate most of that genocide? Or are there any more strategies still coming?

[SYED]

The giant arcan purchase through out noram has made thosat remain increadibly valuable, and their numbers were somewhat diminished by it as well. So lots of people would be unwilling to cost themselves so much money by simply killing them off, they will hesitate, allowing for the arcan forces to get a chance to free them. or kyvern could shadow walk in, drain the alchemical devices and let them run to safety.
also, the trouble of any arcan currently, would make people eager to sel them for a good price.

also, the first time there is a slave ,assacre, the freed arcans will make those humans pay in blood.

[SoronelHaetir]

Unless the Mask is much smaller than I am thinking (my impression is at least a member or two in most any town of consequence - call it around a thousand loose sympathizers who have been willing to perform at least one act that would get them killed if it were discovered by the governments of Noram) the policy of killing every adult male is going to guarantee that those members turn against the rebellion instead of making it very likely - out of simple self preservation if for no other reason. The smaller the Mask is the easier it would be to get word to those people and pull them to someplace safe, even if they don't necessarily agree with what is going on, conversely the larger the group is the harder it would be to pull that off. And I suspect that a thousand people would be on the high side of what can be secretly pulled aside in a time when every movement is going to garner scrutiny.

If the Mask is really only fifty or a hundred then I would see it being fairly easy to gather those people to safety. And also the smaller the number the more likely they are to be truly committed and willing to stick with the arcans even through Kyvin's terror.

[SYED]

Clover was deeply involved in the masked, so she might be able to get warnings out to the members in a region.

[MartinK]

The giant arcan purchase through out noram has made thosat remain increadibly valuable, and their numbers were somewhat diminished by it as well. So lots of people would be unwilling to cost themselves so much money by simply killing them off, they will hesitate, allowing for the arcan forces to get a chance to free them.

I can see the humans hesitate for a while, but they would have to be too stupid to breath for them to simply send human soldiers against an enemy, that grows with each fight. If its obvious, that your arcans won't stay enslaved and thus become worthless no matter what, the idea of revenge alone should get people to kill their slaves. And don't get started on the orders of the ones in authority, like the army or the king, to kill enslaved arcans.

or kyvern could shadow walk in, drain the alchemical devices and let them run to safety.

And he surely has nothing better to do than go to one arcan, free him, explain whats going on and where to go now, then go to the next arcan. If that were an option, there would have been no need for an army of freed arcans to fight and by doing so loosing a lot of those arcans in the fighting later on.

also, the first time there is a slave ,assacre, the freed arcans will make those humans pay in blood.

And... thats exactly in which way different than whats going on already? If you kill all males in general and all females and children that remotely take up arms to defend themselves and their loved ones, the possibility to kill them any more dead isn't really all that helpfull. The remaining females and children aren't really worth much and will only have to be fed and clothed by their family, if one remains coherent. Better for the remaining society to loose them, too.

[SYED]

SOme locations will be tricky to attack, so kyvern could use shadow walking to get in and get collars off. If freed, those arcan have a chance to get away, and the army is a guantee they can at least have sanctuary there.
In the beginning, they wont kill the arcans due to them not truly seeing them as a threat and underestimate. THey might increase security or gather them in one location, but still to them the enemy is only a bunch of funny looking animals.
I see this being increabily blood either way. The farms can not survive with out the arcan to tend the lands, so some people would be destroying their plantations as arcan are very expensive now. Luckily there is a chance due to the arcan shortage and the need for them on the farms, kill them al order would need more time to be justified, but it will be.

[Fel]

I can see the humans hesitate for a while, but they would have to be too stupid to breath for them to simply send human soldiers against an enemy, that grows with each fight. If its obvious, that your arcans won't stay enslaved and thus become worthless no matter what, the idea of revenge alone should get people to kill their slaves. And don't get started on the orders of the ones in authority, like the army or the king, to kill enslaved arcans.

This is something of which Kyven is very much aware, and he has a plan to deal with it to prevent mass slave killings before they arrive.

[SYED]

SAy he gets a device aimed to shut down all collars. THe collars are currenly set to follow some limited rules and instructions so long as it's crystale contains some energy. SHaman draining trick allows them to ignore it's settings. it would be better i he can turn off the collars, then call all the arcans to him.
Some arcans would escape when they realise they are free, but there are those that would stay behind. ALso, humans will want to keep them contained with chains, if they cant, they might simply kill them all.

[SoronelHaetir]

A further quick thought on the King's Garden segment, wouldn't the plantation likely be big enough to already have a resident cleric that Kyvin would need to deal with in some manner before the attack? Even if the king and the Florin church do not necessarily get along I would expect such a post to exist in order to see to the spiritual well-being of his workers. And if the king and church do get along I would expect that there would likely be more than one resident cleric and a magnificent (if small) church building on the property, and if there is such a church building I would expect that is where Kyvin would be housed when he shows up unexpected by the plantation workers, not the unwed worker's barracks.