Samuel's Shield

Men, I will be brief,

You all share the frustration in knowing that summoning stones have been found and wielded by many peoples -- who have then followed their own self-centered desires rather than uniting against Ret-Talus -- as well as the dismay that some of them possess more than one stone.  Well, I have received a dispatch filled with extremely important news, both good and ill.  In short, a second summoning stone is now being wielded by one of our own: Samuel Farthen! 

Yes, that is good news indeed.  But it is balanced by a very grim report.  The rumors are true: the Fallen Kingdom has finally obtained another stone as well, and it is in the hands of one of his insane toadies.  And their armies, just like ours, have mustered new kinds of units into battle.  It is essential you understand the possibilites these new forces will bring with them. 

I will start with the good news.  Samuel Farthen is a worthy bearer of the stone.  While Sera Eldwyn has focused her use of the stone on healing, Samuel has focused his on protection.  By himself he has the same ability to protect his troops we have seen in Coleen Brighton,

but with the use of the stone he can project this protection to all his troops, not just nearby commons.

He not only makes it harder to wound his soldiers, he can prevent some wounds from even happening.

Perhaps best of all, he has taken his protection to an offensive level: he can detect when an opposing summoner is about to cast a spell with his stone, and if Samuel is ready he can block the spell from happening. 

At the right tactical moments, this ability of his can win many battles. 

More good news: Sybil Swancott is marching with Samuel! 

I see that one or two of you don't know about her.  Sybil is very old and frail -- in her body.  But over the decades of her life she has developed the powers of her mind and spirit so that she is an absolute terror in battle, striking hard from afar, and deflecting many attempted wounds. 

It turns out that her spiritual wards are also resistant to the healing that Sera Eldwyn can offer, so I suspect that is the reason Sybil did not follow Sera's lead.  Samuel's methods of protection are a more natural fit for Sybil, and we are all glad for it. 

You'll be especially glad for the help of Samuel and Sybil when you hear about Ret-Talus's new pet summoner.

Posted by Bryan Stout
Bryan Stout is a PlaidHatGames.com writer and editor.