The Command Tent at Deep Den

[The Stranger]

"Yes." Lefford said firmly, "That is what I would do if I were them."

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

Alexander thinks hard, "We have 25,000 men at Crakehall and another 15,000 men from the Mander. The Stormlands are battered but have 9000 men remaining. If the army at Crake Hall Marches to Deep Den through the pass near Lannisport and Lord Tyrell meets up with Connington and marches in the direction from King Landing. We could force the enemies hand in moving North to the Riverlands. That would slow them down and give us a chance to try our original strategy of a three front push. Us from the South, The Vale and Riverlands from the East and the North from well the North."

[The Stranger]

Lefford shook his head, "It will take a long time for Lord Connington to reach Crakehall. He has to go all the way south to Silverhill, than make his way along the river bed until he gets out of the mountains. A difficult journey with so many men. There's a reason The enemy is throwing lives against our walls. If there was a way around they would have taken it."

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

"Your right but I was thinking that Lord Tallahar could meet him at Silver Hall. We send 25000 men north from Crakehall to Lannisport and then east and the other under Tallahar to Silverhall. If scouts met with Lord Tyrell he could change his marching orders in time."

[The Stranger]

"Perhaps Lord Irwyn." Lefford said, sounding unconvinced.

[Deleted]

Aranya entered the tent. Her stone hand had returned to human flesh, but the skin of her hand was stony and cold to the touch, grey like a rock. But it had healed, and she had regained the use of her muscles. But it was still creepy and terrible to look at. When she entered, however, she showed it to them, and explained what had happened, calmly and in a firm voice.

"I saw that it was kept in a grand tent, with armed guards," she said. "The basilisk is more than a weapon - it seems to be revered as a symbol of their race."

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

Alexander nodded, "Aye lets hope thats the only two creatures they have."

[The Stranger]

"Apparently they die fast enough when you run a spear through them." said Lefford. "Shame that boy ended up with a halberd through the helm, I should have liked to reward him for killing that thing. Do we know how many of the accursed things they have? We saw two during the sortie, and slew them both, thank the seven."

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

"I had heard that a Basilisk could stone a man with his gaze, but to be afflicted as Aranya has is terrifying she hadn't even seen the beast."

[The Stranger]

"It's... remarkable. The thing killed hundreds of men who couldn't keep their eyes averted. I don't know how we'll deal with them if we have to face them again. Well maybe face them is a bad turn of phrase." The Golden one laughed, to lighten the mood.

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

Alexander laughed also, "a person can only fight blindfolded for so long."

[Deleted]

"Well, there is at least one more," Aranya said grimly. "And I cannot possess it. What do we do about these beasts?"

[Ser Kenneth Coyn]

"Well as Lord Lefford said they die easily enough if stabbed. I think our bigger problems is the 20,000 other monsters camped outside. We had not found suitable closure on that issue."

[Bunny-Rabbit]

Cedric enters alone, and walks to the others. Offering a sardonic smile he asks, "What did I miss?"

[The Stranger]

"The Lord Hand and I were discussing the possibility of the Reachmen opening third front against Lannisport, to cut off their supplies and force them to withdrawal and defend them, or join up with their comrades at Riverrun. Lady Aranya was discussing the matter of these creatures, which cost us many men the other day. I admit to having never seen anything like it in my history on the battlefield."