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Old 11-01-2005, 06:35 PM   #35
Firefoot
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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Firefoot has been trapped in the Barrow!
As Telumehtar took the paper from the table and pinned it to the wall, Menelcar leaned back in his seat. Though far from luxurious, the wooden chair was at least reasonably comfortable, and he did not mind taking advantage of what comfort he could on the swaying ship. In private, at least, he and the king held few formalities with each other.

I have no doubt," Telumehtar was concluding, "that you had a plan yourself for the attack. What's your plan?"

Menelcar paused a moment before responding. What thoughts he had given to the attack had not been nearly so broad in scope, concentrating instead on individual segments of the expedition. “I think,” he began, “that it would not be unlikely that we should meet Corsair ships before we reach Umbar. We need to have a plan ready and known among the all the officers and ships’ captains before we encounter them – once we see them, it will be too late to coordinate any kind of counter.

“Also, I do not think it unlikely that we will find the harbor mouth at Umbar held against us,” he said, rising from his seat and pointing to the narrow mouth at Umbar’s harbor on Telumehtar’s map. “It is the logical place for them to make a stand – easy to defend, and removed from the city itself – and it would be foolhardy for us to believe that they will have had no word of our coming. What we need is something they will not expect, something…” He tapped speculatively at the harbor as his voice trailed off. An idea came to him. “This coastal region is hilly, providing cover, is it not? The Haven of Umbar is a port city, ill prepared for an assault from land, and however well the Corsairs fight on sea, our army is superior to theirs. What if we were to send a small force over land, over this narrow strip of land here? With any luck at all, they should reach the city at about the same time we do. They would have to go quickly and secretly for it to work; their best weapon would be surprise. What do you think? Would this work?”
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