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IABD 57: An Idea for a Trap
🕑 Added 2025-04-23 18:40:14 +0000 UTCSnow crunched in the courtyard, jolting Matthias from the Realm in Dream.
Moving silently, he sprang from his bedroll, peering through the windowâbehind him the room was unnaturally bright, reflecting the moonstruck snow outside.
Grey ghouls were prowling across the snowy ground.
By now, he had grown accustomed to their nighttime prowling, but tonight there more than usual. For a moment, he considered waking his sleeping siblings, but quickly dismissed the idea, since waking them would serve no real purpose as Pollaâs wards were strong, and the ghouls showed no signs of approaching them.
He watched them move through the courtyard, roaming from place to place as they wanted.
On nights like this, they would emerge from the abbey and quietly lurk in the courtyard, never testing the wards. Their movements were often peculiar to Matthias, defying any reason that he could discern; sometimes they would wander aimlesslyâseemingly immune to winterâs biteâlike ghosts of the living beings they once were.
Other times they would stalk through the courtyard like predators patrolling their territory.
And at other timesâŠthey would kill.
It seemed that this was a killing night.
In the distanceâfar from Windstoneâscreeches echoed back to the abbey. Most ghouls moving through the courtyard stopped, turning in unison, quickly rushing from the courtyardâkicking up clouds of white as they charged toward the Windwood.
In moments they were gone.
Minutes passedâŠand the beasts returned, carrying their grisly spoils. It seemed the pack had laid their hands on a bear and slaughtered it. Now they brought the prize back homeâin many piecesâcarrying it to their lair.
As Matthias watched, monsters pulled quivering hunks from the carcass, then spread around the courtyard, feasting as they moved about. Though the bulk of the corpse was taken to the abbey, some was consumed right there and then, eagerly devoured by ghouls gorging on their dripping meal.
He watched as some entered unoccupied hermit houses; even though the dilapidated buildings remained abandoned during the day, many of the undead used them at night, secure that the dangerous interlopers were fast asleep.
His jaw tightened.
âThey donât fear us enough. Not yet,â he whispered to the dark. âIâm going to fix that one day.â
Deep inside, his soul contracted, sending Divine Breath coursing through his body. It burned in his life channels like hot blood in his veins.
###
Matthiasâ life energy burned as he raised his sword above his head.
His hardened will gripped his soul.
His calloused hands gripped the hilt of his blade.
His mind gripped the goal heâd set.
With a sudden exhalation, he brought the blade down. His soul contracted, sending a wave of power rushing through the life channels between his body and spirit. Every fiber of his being sparked with power and the blade strike felt powerful enough to cleave a boulder in two.
His blade cut the air with the force of gusting winds, quivering as he halted its slash just above the snow.
He raised the sword again, letting his soul expand, he struck, at the same time, he pumped his spirit. Another rush of power surged through him, feeling much as it would when he concentrated his energies using the Way of Stone.
âVery good,â Mistress Polla complimented him. She floated a little to the side. âDo you find contracting your soul still difficult?â
âHardly.â Matthias sheathed his blade. âItâs much easier than it used to be.â
Several days and nights had passed since heâd watched the ghoulsâ grisly feast, and on this cloudy day, he was outdoors, focusing on swinging his sword while pumping his soul. Even after spending so many nights practising the harp, he hadnât expected what he was doing now to be quite as easy.
Musical training, at one time, had been unfamiliar to him, while training with tools of bloodletting was something heâd done for the better part of his life. He was enjoying making music as much as he enjoyed stone carving, he liked using his handsâŠbut those hands were also made for battle.
Matthias knew that fact as certainly as he knew his own name.
âRight now, my soul contracts automaticallyâŠonly sometimes, and definitely only when Iâm at rest.â His boots crunched on the packed snow in the courtyard as he approached the mage. In the distance, he watched his siblings and mother running through the snowdrifts, just beginning their day, training. White flakes flew through the air with every step they took.
He turned back to Polla, wrapping his tigerskin cloak tighter around his shoulders. âBut the number of times it pumps on its own are increasing, and itâs getting easier for me to contract my soul while Iâm doing other things; if I can do it while Iâm playing music, I can do it while Iâm swinging a blade. Soon I might be able to take on a real fight while circulatingâŠI donât know, maybe in a week? Maybe two?â
Matthias glanced up at the abbey. âDo you think Iâll be ready to fight those ghouls soon? I feel ready.â
He expected her to put up an argument, to insist he wasnât ready.
Instead, her owlish eyes turned to the hulking ruin of a building dominating the courtyard. âYou could be, I think.â
His heart surged. âReally?â
âYour mother and I were discussing your progress: we both think you will soon be ready to challenge them⊠However, she believes it would be foolhardy for you to face them in their lair from the start, and I agree with that. Those fiends have lived in that abbey for centuries; no doubt they know hiding places and ambush points that we could only dream of anticipating.â
âThatâs true. When we first came here, some of those ghouls dropped from the rafters in our hermit house and attacked from above. They do not seem the type to set traps, but the ghoul knights show signs of a greater intellect; perhaps theyâve even been spending the winter turning the abbey into a death trap for us.â
Pollaâs silver eyebrows rose. âHrm, you surprise me. I thought you could have been foolhardy and begun arguing with me, insisting that you could handle hunting them through their lair right away. Some young folks in your position would be feeling their newfound powerâŠand make reckless decisions in haste. Congratulations to you.â
âNo, I spent way too many years being humbled to think like that.â Matthias shook his head. âI know what itâs like to be weak; I want to prove myself; Iâm no coward but Iâd rather face them on my own terms before I face them on theirs.â
âWiseâŠdo you have any thoughts on how you might do this?â
Matthiasâ eyes fell on the ruined hermit houses; the ones the ghouls had taken their bloody meals to a few nights earlier.
âI think I do, but Iâll need your help, and maybe motherâsâŠbut I have worked out a plan. Those ghouls have learned to fear you and mother, but after this? Theyâll begin to learn they should fear me too.â
###
âWhat if we laid a trap for the ghouls?â Matthias pointed at a ruined hermit house; his boots crunched the snow, approaching it. âJust like the trap we used on the beast tiger.â
Behind him Polla and Beggahasta followed, the mage and warrior exchanging glances. In the distance, Bregindoure and Dagma were going through their weapons drills.
âI donât quite follow,â Mistress Polla admitted.
âWe used a tiger trap to catch a demonic-beast tiger shortly before you arrived in Barrowgate.â Beggahasta nodded to Matthiasâ tigerskin cloak. âThe very one that âdonatedâ its hide for my sonâs cloak.â
âOh no, that much I understood; what I donât follow is how this ruin is to function as a tiger trap.â Polla floated over the remains of the houseâs outer wall, examining the derelict house.
The buildingâs northern wall had been torn open, a ragged hole revealing the very trebuchet stone that had broken through it. Hundreds of years of exposure to the elements had collapsed part of the roof, while the houseâs interior was now a filthy ghoul den.
The stench was almost palpable.
Polla wrinkled her nose, continuing. âOr what the purpose of turning it into a tiger trap would be. Care to explain, Matthias?â
He laid a large, calloused hand on the ruins of the outer wall, brushing away some of the snow covering it. âIâve seen the ghouls come here at night, when they believe weâre sleeping; they fear us during the day but feel safe after dark. Most will avoid our homes because of the wards, but they assume full run of the courtyard at night. It seems they feel safe if they avoid our homes; so, I think we can use their sense of safety to trap them.â
âIâm listening.â Beggahasta nodded along.
âTiger traps usually have a single entrance, and when the tiger goes through it, the entrance closes, capturing the beast.â Matthias raised both hands, then slammed them together, emphasizing his point. âMistress Polla, Altaizar created a ward for his tower that wouldnât harm me or the rest of my family.â
âI actually was instrumental in conceiving of that ward,â Polla said, a pointed note to her tone.
âEven better!â the young greatfolk raised a hand, indicating he meant no offense. âI was going to say that the wards around our houses work in the same way, right, then ask you if itâs possible to make a ward that has a small âholeâ in it? A place where ghouls can slip throughâjust a few at a time, like a chokepointâwhich could be closed when we wanted to close it? Like aââ
ââtiger trap: I am beginning to follow,â Polla mused, eyeing the ruined houses near them. âIt can be done, but it will be a tricky bit of work.â
âWill it be too hard to do?â
The mage snorted, looking insulted. âFor me? Of course not. The issue is this: the more complicated a command that one gives using the Gift is, the harder it is to get whatever youâre commanding to listen, the more energy the command requires, the faster the magic fades. The wards I set up around our two houses are complex enough, butâwith my experienceâI can maintain them with no issue, and I only need to re-establish their magic every few months or so. What you are asking for is an additional layer of complication.â
Polla pointed to her hermit house. âFor our wards, I needed to command the stone to pierce any undead that tries to cross the outer walls. Then I needed to command the air to whip into a great wind that captures any creatureâexcluding myself, Ellian, or any member of your little familyâand burns them to ash. The air does not want to form unnatural winds or ignite of its own accord, and the stones do not wish to shape themselves into spears. Neither the air nor the stones want to trouble themselves with distinguishing us from a ravening pack of ghouls, then avoid destroying us by accident. Itâs all a lot of bother for them, so they resist. If I had given them a simpler command, such as burn and pierce anything that tries to cross the wallsâmeaning they would not have to try and tell us apart from the ghoulsâit would have been easier. Instead of the magic only lasting for three months before I would need to re-establish the command, it would have lasted years.â
Matthiasâ eyebrows rose. âIt makes that much of a difference?â
âIt does: what youâre asking for wouldâŠâ She paused in thought. âIt would require me to command the wind and stones to destroy any ghoul that tries to pass the outer walls while leaving a gap where they could slip through unharmed. SoâŠwould you want this gap to close by way of my command?â
Matthias shook his head. âFor what Iâm thinking, Iâd need to be able to open and close the trap.â
The mage frowned. âEven more complications. I would have to link the gap in the ward to an object that could be held in oneâs hand, moved, or pressed, allowing the trap to be opened or closed with it; think of it like linking a portcullis to a winching mechanism. Perhaps I could use a stone from the ruins of the hermit houseâs walls; the ward would activate when ghouls cross that ruined wall, so a stone from the same wall acting as âthe switchâ would make the most sense. The stone and wall were linked at one time, so linking them again using the Gift, would make things easier. I could arrange it so that any of us putting pressure on the stone would open and close the gap. Unfortunately, creating the command would be so complex that the magic would only last for a matter of weeks before I would have to re-establish it.â
Beggahasta looked at Polla, one eyebrow raised. âYou could do that and make it all last for weeks? I canât even imagine doing half the things you are talking about.â
âA mageâs training involves finding ways to make complex actions with the Gift easier or even possible,â Polla said. âBut yes: thatâs why it would be complex, Matthias. Is that suitable for whatever this plan of yours is?â
âYes!â Matthias clapped his hands together.
âAlright, enough beating the bushes: what is this plan, Matt?â Beggahastaâs tone hovered between being intrigued and worried.
âAlright, well: I want to face the ghouls on my own terms before I go into the abbey, but the problem Iâm having is they will not come out during the daytime because you and Mistress Polla are out here training us. They know they canât stop you twoââ
âHold on, donât make such an assumption so quickly,â Polla warned.
Matthias paused. âWhy not? Weâve been here for months now, and they no longer challenge us in the daytime.â
âThatâs because they know they likely wonât have to,â Polla said. âThe undeadâbarring some major physical damageânever tire, never expire from a lack of thirst, and do not truly have to eat. A ghoul is driven by hunger as that is in its nature, but it will not die from a lack of food: it is already dead, after all. More importantly, the undead never age.â
âI see where youâre going.â Beggahasta jumped in. ââŠdo you know why elven sieges are some of the most horrific travesties of war, Matt?â
Matthias shook his head. âNo, why?â
âBecause the Artenesian elves hardly need food, sleep or drink.â Beggahastaâs eyes took on a haunted look. âMany sieges of castles and cities end with the besieging army retreating. A castle or a cityâs food stores would far outweigh what an army could carry with them, so a besieging force will struggle to replenish their supplies.â
âBut they can still replenish what they need,â Matthias pointed out. âWhile a castle or city canât if theyâre under siege. Even if the besieging army has to forage in the wilderness, it has ways of feeding its soldiers in the countryside.â
Beggahasta shook her head. âDo you have any idea how much food is needed to feed hundreds of warriors each day? Berries, rabbits, tubers and birds will not suffice for long.â
âWell, what about an armyâs supply lines?â Matthias asked. âThey could just keep feeding themselves with provisions from their homeland or headquarters or something like that.â
âThat works well in theory, but less so in practise.â Beggahastaâs jaw tensed, as though she were enduring unpleasant memories. âA siege is fought during an outright war, Matt, not in isolation. And in a war, what would be one of an armyâs primary targets?â
ââŠsupply lines, of course,â he reasoned. âOhâŠoh, I see! So, while an army is besieging a castle, their enemies from all across whatever realm theyâre invading, will be doing their best to destroy their supply lines, or attack them from behind.â
âExactly, and thatâs not all: sometimes supply wagons are beset by heavy rains, turning roads into mud pits, or by monster attacks that destroy supply caravans. Supply ships and barges sink, or can be blown off course, or attacked by monsters. Then here in the northlands and even the midlands, many sieges are brought to an end by winter. Sieges often fail for a number of reasonsâŠbut elves hardly need food, water, rest or even air, and as they also do not age; they can wait out mortals for decades without issue. Itâs a horrifying prospect: an elven siege could last a century or more and they would not care. Now, take these ghouls: they will never die either, unless by violence, and they know that we are mortal. They fear Polla and me, they also do not wish to be destroyed; so why risk themselves against us when they know we will eventually have to leave their territory?â
âThat makes sense.â Matthias snapped his fingers. âThey donât have to risk a confrontation against powerful opponents if they know those opponents will be gone eventually. And waitâŠeven if we did want to wipe them out, we couldnât go too far into the depths of Windstone because of the miasma.â
âPrecisely.â Polla nodded in approval. âIf we seek to destroy them, they could simply retreat into the bowels of their dens beneath the earth, and we could not follow. So why would they repeatedly risk themselves against powerful opponents they know they can wait out, even if it takes years. ThoughâŠthat is not to say that they cannot face us. Who knows what lies deep beneath the earth; donât assume just because they have not outright challenged us during the daylight, that they cannot.â
âYes, such assumptions have been the death of many a warrior,â Beggahasta agreed.
âAlright, Iâll keep that in mind. My point still stands though: they donât want to risk a fight with either of you, but if they think theyâre safeâŠthey would enter the ruins of this hermit house. And thatâs where Iâll be waiting. The ward will keep most of them out, while the gap will let as many in as I allow to come in. I can close it, cutting them off before they can overwhelm me. That means Iâll be facing them on my terms and learning how to destroy them andâby the time we go into the abbeyâIâll be better prepared for them.â
Beggahasta pursed her lips in thought. âI would like to wait in the ruin with you, at least for the first few nights you try this, in case things go wrong.â
âMakes sense, but after doing it that way for a while, Iâd like to do it on my own. I wonât always have you there to help me,â he said.
âI approve,â Polla agreed. âI can set up the ward for you: now, when would you want to start this plan?â
âGive me two weeks. I bet you thatâin two weeks' timeâI should be able to fight while contracting my soul. Thatâs when Iâll be ready.â
âThen itâs a plan.â Beggahasta clapped her son on the shoulder. âAre you sure you are ready to try this?â
âI am. Or at least, I think I am.â
âWe can never be entirely sure if weâre ready for struggles of life and death, but if you think you are thenâfor what itâs worthâI agree with you. I think you are ready, too,â Beggahasta said.
###
For two weeks Matthias practised his weapon drills both in the waking world and in The Realm in Dream while contracting his soul. Day and night the exercise grew easier, his circulation was falling into a natural rhythm, whether with smooth or violent combat motions.
His soul was contracting on its ownânot only while he was at rest butâduring his martial training or with other movements. He felt good, he felt comfortable, knowing heâd soon be ready for whatever the next step toward solidifying his foundation was going to be.
At the end of a fortnight, heâd succeeded; he was able to perform his drills in the Dream Realm while automatically contracting his soul, allowing his mind to focus on an opponent.
Polla was more than happy to hear this.
âAlright, then,â she said. âYou kept your promise. I am going to Dagger Rock to pick something up. Then, tonight? Tonight, we shall set up this trap of yours. Tonight, you will face the ghouls.â
###
Author's Note
So here I dug a little bit into Gift mechanics and uh...I didn't plan to nerd about sieges and how they would change in a fantasy world like this but here we are lmao.
Nah, but seriously sieges by the undead, immortals or golems would be HORRIFYING.
Cya Friday!
Comments
Lon
Ngl, being sieged by Undead, immortals or Golems indeed would be scary. And itâs nice to think about it. Because most times we see undead being controlled by necromancers and depending on the magic system that may need to be kept with mana. So thinking about natural undead thinking, or being controlled to make a siege is very scary. I wonder what will be the next step of Matthiasâs training after he manages to circulate his life force through his channels⊠Maybe he will take more Divine Breath? Is there maybe a test that can be made to check if his channels can take in Divine Breath.
mant06
The spellcraft in the Fool was relatively user insensitive. This was likely by design and not a feature of spellcraft itself, as the most widely usable spells would be passed on the most. Desingning spell arrays that work specifically with ones own mana might even be the way beyond 9 tier spells. For the gift we don't know yet enough to say anything definitive but it seems that with gift use the users aptitude and world view play a much larger role. So instead of trying to create universal images and comands beyond basics it may be most efficient for gift users to study aplicable subjects to develope a better picture to use, and then figure from that commands that work best for them. Though even should the previous postulation be accurate it would just mean that universalisation is less efficient not impossible, and certainly not that there wouldn't be groups doing it or trying to.
mant06
The gift sounds like it could be used to counter the food production issues of a siege, maybe even indefenitely. But the psychological impacts of the siege wouldn't be, and after the nerve breaks little else matters in war.
thaughton2
Elves just standing there. Menacingly. For literal days. Unmoving. One moves to take a swig of water. You sigh with relief, at least there's one less- and they return. To the same spot on the line. Still again. Silent again.
Thomas Keller
I'm now imagining a Necromancer slowly bringing their Horde through a Kingdom, surrounding cities and forts with thousands of ever growing undead, replenishing from those caught inbetween fortified locations and killed, until all that's left are the slowly starving mortals left behind their walls until they die, one way or the other. For some reason I suspect this imagery or such like it will be relevant eventually :V
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
