T'rell (Daere) & Jerram (Jasra)
Geode Warren

>"The patrols I sent out should be in position along here," H'nry said
pointing at a
ridge line on the map, "I've given them strict orders not to engage."

>"My patrols should also be in position," T'rell added, "We've got to try to
meet
the wraiths as far from the warren as possible."

>"To give us room to retreat?" Jer'rid asked, "That's not supposed to be an
option."

>They were all faced with the same problem, defeating Ash and his wraith
hoard.
Their only advantage was the ability of their dragons to maneuver more quickly
across the battlefield.  Then it cam to him, "There is one other thing," H'nry
muttered.

>"What's that?" Jerârid from Cleft asked.

>"I was considering our strategy," H'nry explained, "It seemed that our only
advantage lie in our ability to teleport and keep Ash off balance.  Then it
occurred to me that might be our biggest asset."

>"I'm not sure I follow," R'ven said.

>"It appears, based on what happened here earlier, that the individual wraiths
are
as stupid and driven by instinct as they always were.  Ash can direct them in
battle, but once he sets them at a task, they will keep at it until he
instructs
them otherwise.  If we use our mobility to come at the wraiths from different
directions, and we can spread them out, it will make it difficult for Ash to
know
what is happening and to issue commands," H'nry explained.

>"That's based on the assumption that the wraiths are still mindless, and Ash
supplies all their commands," T'rell pointed out.

>ãWe have to hope for something,ä Hânry said.

>A rider escorted in a young woman, and Phadera turned to face her.  From the
look
that settled on the Warrenlady's face, H'nry guessed that there was some
history
between them.

     T'rell, being a telepath himself, heard Geode's queen Melith informing
the dragons that the woman was the rider of her offspring, the queen Sphere.
Jerram took only a moment longer to get the information, through his dragon
Seydor.

     Both men, along with Phaedra and the wingleaders from Geode, Cleft, and
Telnor, listened to the incredible story she told.  

>ãHellspawn that can infect dragons,ä Hânry said with a deepening frown as the
two
women left the room, ãthat is bad news.ä

>ãWarrenlady,ä Gab'rin of Telnor said, ãdo you have a couple of people who can
be
assigned to discretely keep watch on Loran?ä

>ãYou think she might have a Hellspawn inside her?ä Phadera asked.

>ãIf I were in Ashâs place I would try to put a spy inside the enemy camp,"
Gab'rin
replied.

>"What really troubleâs me is the concept of Hellspawn inside dragons," H'nry
added.

>ãThat would take away some of our mobility advantage,ä R'ven said.

>ãIâm also worried about our dragons balking at killing other dragons,ä Hânry
replied.

>ãDo you have a plan?ä Phadera asked.

>"Stay alive," H'nry said.

     All of Geode was now abuzz with preparations to meet the massive attack
that everyone knew was coming.  Daere's Gamma Wing had been assigned to take
up position on the extreme left of their formation, with Jasra's much smaller
contingent to its right, maintaining contact between Daere on its left and
Telnor on its right.  

     "This worries me," said Jerram, absently twirling his waxed and pointed
mustache as he and T'rell walked from the room, flanked by R'ven, Ar'Aman, and
Ja'ks of Daere and by Piper and Devon from Jasra.  "If this Ash person is as
good a general as I've been hearing, he's going to have some sort of nasty
surprise for us that we aren't thinking of."

     T'rell nodded.  "He is...I've heard of him, back in the days when I was
still at Falagand.  He was one hell of a general, even before he became a
rider."

     "And he has a big numerical advantage, even if you just count the wraiths
and not these dragon-hellspawn," Ja'ks pointed out.  "I'm starting to wish
that we'd brought Beta Wing along after all."

     "If we lose here, they'll need every dragon at Daere," T'rell pointed
out.  

     Jerram nodded in assent.  "We left Jasra with only a skeleton crew," he
said.  "And without a warrenlady."

     "So, we need to talk strategy," T'rell said.  "I'm not sure I want to do
what J'errid was talking about.  Against this Ash, we need
something...sneakier."

     "Hard to do when you don't know your enemy's plans," R'ven pointed out.

     "Then just what do we know about this Ash," Piper asked.  "T'rell, you
said you'd heard of him.  Do you know anything else about him?"

     "That he seldom repeats a strategy he's already used once," T'rell said.
"Likes to keep his opponents guessing.  We're going to have to do the
same...come up with something that he wouldn't think of."

     "The Hellspawn knows what Ash knows," Jerram said thoughtfully.  "But
generalship is more than just knowledge, or even experience.  It's also
intuition, knowing when to gamble and when to hold back.  The Hellspawn might
not be able to use that part of him.  It may be our only advantage."  He
stopped and turned to the Daere wingleader.  "You spoke of doing something
unexpected.  Is that why you've had most of Daere's riders scrounging the
countryside filling leather bags with lamp oil?"

     T'rell grinned.  "You might say that," he said, glancing around him to
make sure that no one other than the Daere and Jasra riders were within
earshot.  "On the day I arrived at Daere, my dragon was bragging to the queen
to try and impress her, and told her a silly made-up story about how I'd
killed wraiths by dumping hot coffee on them.  And it gave me an idea..."

     The others all laughed at this, particularly R'ven, Ja'ks, and Ar'Aman,
who knew all about Flerrion's ways.  "And perhaps, Jerram, you might tell me
why you've got *your* riders out bringing in bundles of straw from the
farmers' fields?"

     "I suspect we might have similar ideas," Jerram said, grinning.  "Let me
make a suggestion.  Our current disposition looks great on a two-dimensional
map...but this battle is going to be fought in *three*.  What do you say we
combine our screwy ideas...and change our disposiitions just a bit?"

     Ja'ks, Daere's Beta Wingleader, nodded thoughtfully.  "Instead of placing
our wings side-by-side, we spread Gamma Wing out a bit to keep contact with
Telnor on the right..."

     "And stack Jasra's wing atop ours," said T'rell, grinning.  "We can
stagger the formations so that Daere is slightly ahead...engage the enemy,
gauge their strategy, and then use Jasra to pull off our little
surprises...*both* of them!"

     "Better yet," said Jerram, "we can place Jasra a little farther to the
right, at high-altitude, so that we overlap the junction between Daere and
Telnor...then, when we come in, we might just split off the whole left side of
the wraith horde and destroy it...then turn and hit the remainder on the
flank."

     "Let's do it!" said T'rell.

* * * * * * * *
>"Bad news," H'nry said, "our time just ran out.  Wraiths have been spotted
massing
near here."  He jabbed at the map with a finger.

>"We should take Telnor's riders and attack," Gab'rin said.

>"I agree.  Prepare the other wings to assist us or engage at other locations.
It
looks like Ash is making his move."

>"Good luck," Phadera said.

     "I'll want a kiss from you when I get back," said Jerram, grinning at the
Geode Warrenlady.  The Swordmaster of Iseme Warren, having escorted Dragonlady
Vignette here on more than one occasion, was familiar with Phaedra's ways, and
fully expected the affronted look she gave him.

     "I will be only too glad to give that sweet Seydor of yours a kiss,"
Phaedra told him.  "But as for you, Swordmaster..forget it!"

     "I do love sparring with you, Warrenlady," said Jerram with a grin, as he
turned to mount Seydor.  "I hope we have the opportunity to do this again."

     "So do I, Jerram," Phaedra said gravely.  "Good luck to you."

* * * * * * * *
(T'rell)

     Both he and Flerrion stared in horror at the swirling, writhing mass that
seemed to fill the whole horizon.  *Gods-be-dammed, will you look at that,*
T'rell told his dragon.  *I never thought there were that many of those damned
bedsheets in the whole world!*

     <Something odd about the way they're flying,> Sprarroe reported.

      said Flerrion.

     *What, what??* T'rell demanded, squinting to see the wraiths more clearly
and wishing he had a dragon's far-seeing eyes.

     <They're not moving the way they usually do,> Flerrion replied.

     <Yes, they usually flutter around like leaves in a wind,> said Zenith.
<These are keeping the same distance from one another.>

     The wraith-horde and Gamma Wing were closing on each other at a
tremendous rate of speed, and were now close enough that T'rell could see what
it was that had the dragons so agitated.  *Ah, our friend Ash'chenon at work,*
he said telepathically so that all the dragons would hear and pass the
information along to their riders.  *They're spaced so that we can't fly into
their formation...we can only engage the ones out in front.*

     Clever, very clever, he thought, taking a long pull of the coffee he'd
brought along in his travel-cup.  Good thing he'd obtained a replacement at
Daere for the old one he'd lost in his hurried escape from Falagand.  *All
right...first and fourth flights will drop back...we'll shape the wing into an
arrowhead formation, hit them with the point and try to cut into them.  But be
careful...they'll try to surround us.  Darar, have your rider take his group
and drop back...you'll be the rearguard.  Your job will be to keep them from
enveloping us.*

     <We are getting into position now,> Darar replied.  All around him,
T'rell watched the dragons of Gamma Wing slip smoothly into the new formation.
T'rell quickly passed his information on to Seydor.

     <We have seen what they are doing,> Seydor reported back.  <Our force is
in position...my rider says it should not affect our plans.>

     And then, the two forces collided.  Like the arrowhead it now resembled,
Gamma Wing pierced the front line of the wraith horde, with dragons flaming
left and right.  The wraiths parted before them for a brief moment, then
closed in for the attack.  One flew straight at T'rell, only to burst into
flames and flutter earthward as it was caught by a lance of flame from
Flerrion.

      The massed wraiths tried to pile in and crush the tip of the
"arrowhead," only to find themselves swarming at empty air as the leading
dragons teleported out.  Their comrades just behind them flamed en masse,
destroying dozens of wraiths at a single blow.  And when the wraiths tried to
swarm onto those dragons, the same thing happened, as one group of dragons
after another teleported out of the trap and took up positions farther back.
They were killing wraiths in great numbers, but were still being forced to
fall backward toward Geode.  Still, T'rell hoped that in so doing, they were
forcing many of the wraiths from farther down on Gamma's right to swarm in
this direction to fill the gaps.  He wanted as many of the cursed bedsheets
right here, packed in as tightly as possible when he sprang the trap that he
and Jerram had worked out.

     From behind, he heard the warning shouts of the rearguard dragons.
Turning, he saw that his worst fears had been confirmed...the wraiths were
overlapping them on the extreme left, and Ar'Aman's rearguard was hard pressed
to keep them from closing in around Gamma's rear.

     <We've got to go back and help them!> cried Flerrion.

     *No, stay in formation,* T'rell told his dragon.  He knew that Ari would
do everything possible to keep the wraiths off their tails...and he and
Flerrion had to stay where they could judge the right moment to make their
move...

     T'rell clenched his fists as he saw two dragons of the rearguard...he
recognized them as being from Viktroy's clutch just previous to this last
one...dart out ahead of the main group to flame at some wraiths that were
trying to get around the rear of the wing.  It was a brave move, but an
impulsive and ill-considered one.  *Marak, Teilia...get back!!!* he
mindshouted.

     The warning came too late, as a dozen wraiths fell towards the pair from
above.  T'rell squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he couldn't do anything to
help, but unable to watch the doom of these two brave young riders.

     <Darar, no!!> Flerrion cried.  T'rell opened his eyes, then widened them
in horror as he saw Ar'Aman and his dragon sweep in above the two youngsters,
flaming at the wraiths to give them time to escape.  Seeing their danger, the
two young dragons and their riders did...but Ar'Aman and Darar did not.  One
second he saw the wraiths fall on them like snowflakes in a blizzard...and the
next thing he knew, he saw Darar spinning downward, out of control.

     "ARI, NO!!!!" T'rell screamed.  *Flerrion, take us down!*

     <No, stay where you are!> Sprarroe cried, and T'rell saw the brown dragon
break formation and dive down after Darar.  <Darar and his rider are of Beta
Wing, and my rider says that it is our job to see to them...and your job to
stay here with Gamma.>

     T'rell nodded dumbly, his eyes half-blinded by tears as he turned his
attention back to the battle.  He knew the time had come to go forward with
their plan.

     *Seydor, NOW!!* he mindshouted.

(Tag Barb)

* * * * * * * *
Jerram

     <Flerrion says it is time,> Seydor reported to his rider.

     Jerram nodded, twirling the end of his mustache between two fingers as he
surveyed the scene below him.  Telnor's wing, to his right, and Daere's to his
left, were both heavily engaged and falling slowly back towards Geode.
Farther off in the distance to his right, he could dimly make out flashes of
dragonfire which he assumed must be from Geode's own wings.

     Under normal circumstances, Jerram's force would have been able to do
little to affect the outcome of such a huge battle.  Jasra's contingent of
40-odd dragons was the smallest wing here, as compared to the roughly 100
dragons that T'rell had with him.  Jasra's full available force totaled less
than a full wing, and half of that had been kept back at the warren by Tara,
the queenrider from Iseme who was trying hold things together there following
the tragic deaths of Evelle and Alicynth.

     But Jerram knew that sometimes numbers could be deceptive.  As far as he
could tell, the wraiths hadn't yet noticed his presence, being fully occupied
by the forces of H'nry and T'rell.  Nor would the mindless creatures...or,
hopefully, their Hellspawn leader...be expecting the surprise that was in
store for them.

     Each of Jasra's dragons held clutched in his or her forepaws a huge
bundle of straw, Jerram's own idea...and lashed to the end of each dragon's
tail was a leather bag filled with flammable oil, T'rell's contribution.  The
bags had been cunningly designed to drop away and split open when each
dragon's rider yanked on a drawstring whose end was secured to their saddles.
Now was the time to see if their possibly brilliant, probably screwey plan
worked.

     *Tell them to do it!* Jerram told Seydor.  *And tell Flerrion and Dalanth
to warn their riders that things are about to get a little hot.*

     The Jasra contingent swept in over the top of the ongoing battle, spread
out in a long line.  Now, at Jerram's command, each rider yanked the
drawstring he or she held...and the bags dropped away, splitting open as the
strings that held them sealed shut were pulled out by the bags' own weight as
they swung like pendulums beneath the dragons.    Sheets of flammable oil fell
downward toward the wraith-horde.  An instant later, the dragons dropped their
other burdens, the straw bundles, flaming as they did so to set each one
alight.  

     As the oil fell into the upper echelons of the closely-spaced wraiths,
the flaming bundles of straw plunged into them like a swarm of meteors.
Wraiths that were struck by them writhed out of the way, and those that had
been covered in oil burst instantly into flame.  Below them, the wraith
formation began to break up as they tried to avoid the burning straw bundles,
only to be hit by a rain of flaming oil.

     *It's working!* Jerram cried exultantly.  *Now...attack!!*

     Flaming, Jasra's dragons plunged downward in the wake of the burning
rain.  Below them, a rift began to open up in the wraith horde, right at the
junction of the Daere and Telnor wings.

(To all Daere and Jasra players that are present...TAG!!!)

NRPG:  Ok, the situation is this...the wraiths on the right wing of the horde
(or the left as seen by the dragons and their riders) will be in some disarray
for at least a few minutes because of Jerram's bombing run, giving the dragons
there a chance to engage them in the normal fashion until Ash either manages
to re-form them or commits the dragon-hellspawn...in addition,  Jasra's attack
is driving a wedge in the wraith horde between the Daere and Telnor wings,
which all three wings might be able to exploit. 

Allen - what's Ash gonna do now? }:)

Also - many thanks to Barb for conspiring with me on the oil idea... :)

Submitted by:

John

T'rell & Flerrion, Gamma Wingleader, Daere Warren
Jerram & Seydor,  Jasra Warren

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